AFTER 17 YEARS… IT’S FINALLY FUN TO STAY AT THE YMCA FOR HASSOCKS
Nothing surprises when it comes to Hassocks. Three days after suffering the heaviest home defeat in their history when losing 8-0 to Horley Town, the Robins went and won a league game away at Horsham YMCA for the first time in 17 years.
Saturday 22nd November 2003 was the last time Hassocks left Gorings Mead with three points. Tony Blair was Prime Minister, Busted were top of the charts with ‘Crashed the Wedding’ and Pat Harding scored twice in the space of 120 seconds to secure a 2-0 win for Dave John’s Robins.
Little could Johnsy have known that day that Hassocks would have to wait until 2020 to win at YM again, nor did he probably expect to still be in the dugout, albeit in his fourth spell at the helm.
There was another brace scorer on this occasion, too. Charlie Pitcher repeated Harding’s heroics with a double which, combined with Jack Troak’s penalty, proved enough to give the Robins a 3-1 success.
Hassocks made three changes from the Horley hammering; injured goalkeeper Connor Evento and midfielder Josh Short were replaced by Charlie Pugh and Jack Troak and Dan Turner returned for George Brown, who hadn’t covered himself in glory at the weekend when picking up a red card for dissent.
That meant that eight of the starting line up remained and it was clear from the first whistle that they were determined to redeem themselves. Aaron Jeal in the YM goal made the first of a series of excellent saves with 10 minutes played.
The outstanding James Littlejohn had clearly taken inspiration from the Strictly Come Dancing launch show as he foxtrotted into the box past four challenges, eventually laying the ball off to Bradley Bant whose low drive was repelled.
More fast footwork from Littlejohn earned a free kick on the edge of the box five minutes later, from which the Hassocks striker clipped the bar after dusting himself down to bend an effort which Jeal could only watch onto the woodwork.
Littlejohn then rattled the right hand post after a well worked move in which he dummied Bant’s sweeping cross for Pitcher before collecting the lay off and getting a shot away which again beat Jeal but not the frame of the goal.
Hassocks got the goal that their enterprising start deserved on the half hour mark. Harvey Enticknap appeared to have the ball glued to his foot as he turned this way and that along the by-line, eventually drawing a foul which left referee Daniel D’Urso with little choice other than to point to the spot.
No Hassocks player seemed particularly eager to take the penalty, hardly a surprise given the Robins had missed their previous two spot kicks. Eventually, Troak stepped up and he sent Jeal the wrong way, confidently despatching into the bottom right hand corner of the YM goal to give the visitors the lead.
Unfortunately, they weren’t ahead for long. Within two minutes, Dean Carden popped up on the right wing to deliver a cross which Cameron Gyeabour met with a looping header, giving Pugh no chance.
That took the sting out of the game a little. Hassocks next mustered a chance right on the stroke of half time when Chadwick played in Troak, he skipped around Kyle Sim but saw his one-on-one effort brilliantly saved by a strong Jeal hand.
Just as in the first half, Hassocks came flying out of the traps at the start of the second and they retook the lead within three minutes of the restart. There seemed little on when Bant chested a ball down 25 yards out from goal until Pitcher burst onto the scene, where he put his ability to make something out of nothing to good use when smashing an unstoppable half volley into the bottom corner.
Pugh had a rare piece of work to do when he saved bravely at the feet of Charlie Gee as YM looked for another instant response. The next goal would be crucial. YM’s attempts to find one were not helped when Adrian Todd talked himself into 10 minutes in the sin bin, during which time Hassocks added that vital third.
Bant swung over a corner, Turner produced a clever head down to Broomfield who headed away from goal. “You’re going the wrong way, Will,” somebody helpfully shouted but Broomfield clearly knew what he was doing as the ball found Pitcher who rifled home through a crowd for 3-1.
It was fairly comfortable for Hassocks from that point on. Troak might have added a fourth when he again went through, only for the ball to spoon off his shin pad and into the arms of Jeal and the YM keeper showed smart handling to hold a Chadwick piledriver from distance.
“Have a shot next time, Jake” was the shout from the sidelines for that one, this time given by Chadwick’s father of all people. That raised a few smiles on the Hassocks bench and there plenty more when the final whistle went. From a club-record defeat to ending a 17-year hoodoo in the space of three days. It’s never dull with Hassocks.
Hassocks: Charlie Pugh; Jack Gardner, Dan Turner, Will Broomfield, Andy Whittingham; Harvey Enticknap, Jake Chadwick, Bradley Bant, Jack Troak; James Littlejohn, Charlie Pitcher.
Subs: Phil Gault (Enticknap 65), Jamie Wilkes (Troak 80), Ben O’Leary, Luke Marshall, Lewis Beebee (unused).
