Semi final heartbreak as Robins moved down by runaway Barrowmen
This was not the end to their season which Hassocks Under 18s had envisaged but by full time at the Shooting Field, the Robins just had to hold their hands up and say they were well beaten by the better team.
Hosts Steyning Town delivered an outstanding performance to send Brad Sweetman’s side crashing out of the Southern Combination League Under 18 Supplementary Shield in a 7-1 defeat at the semi final stage.
Steyning will now go onto face Bexhill United in the final, who earlier in the day had beaten the Barrowmen’s other youth squad 3-0 in the other semi final. Youth football in this part of the world is clearly in rude health.
Hassocks themselves can reflect on another excellent campaign, even if it came to a close in such disappointing fashion. This was their only loss from 13 outings, 10 of which ended in victory with two draws.
That form book included a youth team-record 18-0 win over Rottingdean Village and left the Robins top of the North Division prior to the curtailment of the regular season in December.
In terms of player progression, Jack Gardner and Alfie Loversidge have both established themselves as first team regulars. Luke Marshall, Jayden Dunkley and Lewis Beebee have all been in and around the senior squad.
Beebee ended the year as top scorer for the Under 23s, with Alex Crawford, Kobe Derseley, Sam Geard, Archie Russell and Charlie Jones all gaining experience in the development side too.
Whilst all that points to there being no slow up in the Beacon production line for young players, there was little that Hassocks could do against Steyning in such irresistible form – even with Sweetman naming one of his strongest line ups of the season.
Geard was the only notable absentee, replaced by Cody Craig in the starting XI. The Robins made one further unenforced change from the side who had beaten Saltdean United 5-0 in their final group game a fortnight earlier, Louis Thwaites dropping down to the bench as captain Crawford was deemed fit enough to start having been a used substitute on his return from injury in the win at Hill Park.
Pick of the players on show for Steyning was Thomas Charlwood who helped himself to a hat-trick. Charlwood was ably supported by brace scorer Toby Bloomfield. The Barrowmen’s other goals came from Ben Neale and Ben Spano.
For Hassocks, George Mitchell-Phillips scored the consolation to round off what has been an excellent Supplementary Shield campaign for him personally. The Lewes youngster signed for the Robins to play in the end-of-season competition, ending his spell in a Hassocks shirt with eight goals from five matches.
Hassocks: Jayden Dunkley, Jack Gardner, Charlie Jones, Luke Marshall, Alex Crawford, Kobe Dersley, Archie Russell, Cody Craig, George Mitchell-Phillips, Alfie Loversidge Lewis Beebee.
Subs: Archie Messent, Louis Thwaites, Beau Howard, Josh Sprigg, Daniel Llewellyn (used).
