The Beacon reopens its doors for Southern Combination League Premier Division football on Tuesday night as Hassocks host Broadbridge Heath in the Robins’ first competitive match since October 24th.
Lockdown came at a bit of a bad time for Dave John’s side, who were just starting to hit form. Hassocks’ last match resulted in an excellent 7-2 win over Langney Wanderers which lifted them into the dizzy heights of seventh in the table and already just two points shy of their entire points tally for the 2019-20 season.
That Langney game was the latest in a long line of entertaining encounters at the Beacon. 35 goals had flown into the back of the net from only six matches, meaning that adults paying their £6 to watch were therefore forking out just 97p per goal.
Hassocks will be hoping that the entertainment can continue against a Heath side who themselves were in good form before November’s lockdown after enduring a testing start to the season through no fault of their own.
Broadbridge Heath this season
Heath were one of the first sides in the Southern Combination League to be impacted by Covid-19 back in September, having to forfeit an FA Cup tie with Haywards Heath Town and sit out matches for two weeks after a positive test among their squad.
That clearly had an impact as they were winless in the first month of the campaign, scoring just twice and conceding 14 goals in their opening three matches.
In mid-October though, something clicked for Chris Simmons and his players and since then they have racked up a series of impressive results to move away from the bottom three.
Hassocks were one of the first sides to fall victim to the in-form Bears when losing 1-0 at High Wood Hill Sports Ground, Heath’s second Premier Division win of the season.
Since then, they have also defeated Langney Wanderers and gone down to close defeats against league leaders Saltdean United (2-1), Lancing (3-4) and Alfold (4-5).
Scoring goals is clearly not a problem for Simmons’ side and in Lewis Croal, they have one of the Premier Division’s top scorers. With Charlie Pitcher in equally good form for Hassocks, there is every chance that the Beacon could be in for another goal fest.
Hassocks’ record against Broadbridge Heath
Heath are one of the few teams who Hassocks have faced across all three divisions of the Southern Combination League over the past 35 years. There is not much to separate the sides when it comes to the head-to-head with the Robins having won nine of the 24 meetings and Heath 10, leaving five draws.
Recent clashes with the Bears have not been too kind to Hassocks, however. The Robins have won just two of the previous 10 matches, a 3-2 success at the Beacon in the 2017-18 season and a 2-0 victory at Heath’s former home of the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre in 2015-16.
Last time Hassocks played Broadbridge Heath
As noted, Hassocks have already faced Heath in the Premier Division this season back in October. It looked like the Robins had done enough to leave with a share of the spoils until Jamie Taylor scored a brilliant effort from 40 yards in the final minutes to decide the game in the hosts’ favour.
Important information for fans attending Hassocks v Broadbridge Heath
It is pay on the gate at the Beacon with entrance priced at £6 adults, £3 concessions and under 16s free. We are now accepting contactless payments at the turnstiles and we ask supporters to please use this method where possible.
Upon entry, we need to collect supporters’ details for track and trace reasons. If you have the relevant app, you can scan a QR code on your phone upon entry. If not, then please fill in the contact form when you arrive at the ground.
Once inside the ground, supporters are asked to maintain social distancing at all times. Two metre distancing has been marked around the Beacon to help with this.
Unfortunately, the Clubhouse must remain closed for the foreseeable future due to the current restrictions which means we are not allowed to serve alcohol from the Robins Bar. We do however have permission to sell hot food and drinks from the window of the T Bar and the normal 36 page colour programme will be available on the gate.
