Bull blockbuster from 30 yards shares the spoils with St Francis
It was Mid Sussex Derby day in Group C of the Southern Combination League Under 23 Supplementary Shield with St Francis Rangers and Hassocks sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Colwell Road.
Both the goals arrived in the first half and they were both pretty special as nothing could separate the two sides, who played out a similarly tight 90 minutes back in September on the opening day of the regular North Division season.
That seems like a lifetime ago now. Hassocks were on the end of a 2-1 defeat that evening at the Hospital, Kieran Dimelow’s strike being cancelled out by Josh Paine and former Robins forward Jake Lindsey in what was the first meeting between the clubs for two seasons.
Seven months later and Hassocks made the short trip north looking for revenge and although they did not manage to get it, the result preserves their unbeaten start to the competition to leave them in second spot in the table behind Horley Town, holders of the only remaining 100 percent record in Group C.
With first team games coming thick and fast now, the Robins were deprived of senior squad regulars Dan Turner, Jack Gardner and Alfie Loversidge, all of whom had started the previous week’s 1-0 win at Mile Oak.
In addition to those three changes, top scorer George Galbraith-Gibbons was also absent. Coming into the Hassocks line up were Luke Marshall, Thomas Jupp, Charlie Tuck and Marshall Smith.
Both Smith and Tuck were in good spirts; the former having scored the winner against from Oak from the substitutes bench and the latter having made his full first team debut in the shock 3-1 win over Horley 48 hours earlier.
Having seen Lindsey net against them in that meeting earlier in the campaign, Hassocks had a sense of deja vu when two of their ex-players were involved in helping Rangers to the lead with 20 minutes on the clock.
Former Robins Under 23 captain Ellis Common started the move, hitting a perfect diagonal ball to Sam Wright. Wright crossed and Will Glenn, also once of Hassocks’ parish, powered in a header which gave Charlie Pugh no chance.
Rangers were ahead for all of three minutes before the Robins struck back. Whilst the hosts’ goal was the result of a lovely team move, Hassocks relied on a piece of individual brilliance from Joe Bull who hit an unstoppable long range volley from 30 yards which Rangers goalkeeper Jacob Campbell could simply watch fly in.
The intensity in the first half was extreme but with a sudden drop in temperatures ahead of the second 45, so too the quality of the game dipped a little.
Both sides continued to go for it and Rangers arguably shaded it, but this was very much a half of football in which defences came out on top – especially the Hassocks rear guard, who were excellent in securing the point.
Hassocks: Charlie Pugh, Charlie Tuck, Luke Marshall, Thomas Jupp, Harvey Ransome, Kieran Dimelow, Ben Hicks, Jay Hudson, Connor Bradley, Marshall Smith, Joe Bull.
Subs: Kobe Dersley, Sam Geard, Lewis Beebee, Brad Sweetman (used).
