The second part of our 2020-21 Hassocks Season Review picks up the action in October. Following a mixed opening month to the campaign something clicked for the Robins in October as they picked up some seriously impressive results – in-between suffering a club-record home defeat – to end the month in the dizzy heights of seventh spot in the Premier Division table.
Peacehaven & Telscombe were the first visitors to the Beacon just two weeks after they had cruised to an easy 3-0 FA Vase victory in Mid Sussex. It turned out to be a very different story second time around as Hassocks gave a much improved performance to run out 2-1 winners over the Tye.
James Littlejohn scored two identical goals in the space 120 seconds on the hour mark, clinically finishing low Jack Troak crosses into the six yard past James Broadbent in the Peacehaven goal.
Former Hassocks number one Broadbent made several first-class saves to prevent the Robins running up a cricket score and when Harry Red pulled one back for the Tye with 12 minutes remaining, a grandstand finish was on the cards.
Hassocks though held on, thanks to Will Broomfield, Andy Whittingham and Troak all clearing efforts off the line in front of an enthralled crowd of 228, the fifth-biggest step five attendance of the day across the entire country.
Three days later and Dave John took the opportunity to rest players after such a hectic start to the season for the long journey west to Midhurst & Easebourne in the Sussex Senior Cup.
Troak, Charlie Pitcher, Phil Gault, Charlie Pugh and Bradley Bant were all spared the trip to the Rotherfield. Broomfield watched on from the stands and Littlejohn and Jack Gardner were named amongst the substitutes.
The result was a disjointed performance and a 3-0 defeat against fired up Division One opponents with all the goals coming in the first half – two from Harry Giles and one from Lewis Hyde.
Hassocks looked like they would pick up a point when they returned to Premier Division action away at Broadbridge Heath, a tepid affair which made it into the 92nd minute locked at 0-0.
That was until a moment of magic from Heath’s Jamie Taylor, who took advantage of a scuffed clearance from Pugh venturing outside of his area to return an effort from a full 40 yards back over the head over the Hassocks goalkeeper and into the empty net.
Whilst the trip to High Wood Hill Sports Ground may have been devoid of entertainment bar Taylor’s late intervention, the Robins’ next fixture at East Preston turned out to be one of the most enthralling of the campaign.
In the ultimate example of a game of two halves, Hassocks led 4-0 going into the break against their bottom-of-the-table hosts. Harvey Enitcknap, Charlie Pitcher and a brace from defender George Brown left the Robins looking pretty as the sides walked off for the interval.
Whatever was said to EP at the break had the desired impact as they returned looking like a different team for the second half. A Gardner own goal and a Conor Bull penalty made it Hassocks 4-2 East Preston before the hour mark. The hosts’ third arrived with two minutes remaining, Bull converting the rebound after Pugh had saved his initial penalty.
It then took a superbly timed last man tackle from Dan Turner to prevent Bull having a clear run of goal in the final seconds as Hassocks held on… just.
Premier Division leaders Horley Town visited the Beacon next, a bad time for Hassocks to give their worst performance of the season, the result being an 8-0 loss which set a new record as the heaviest home defeat in senior football in Robins history.
Brown and Jake Chadwick were both sent off, Conor Evento had to be subbed off with injury early in the second half which meant a league debut in goal for 17-year-old Jayden Dunkley.
Four of the goals came in the final 10 minutes as Hassocks appeared to give up, although there was at least one moment of comedy when Pitcher attempted to hold the ball in the corner with the Robins 6-0 behind, surely the only time in football history that a side has begun timewasting when losing in an attempt to prevent the score line getting any worse?
Adam Grant was the pick of the visiting players, helping himself to a hat-trick. Sean O’Toole grabbed a brace with the other Clarets scorers being Richard Pingling, Lewis Pearch and Tony Halsey.
How do you bounce back from such a demoralising hammering? Well, if you are a team with a Jekyll and Hyde reputation like Hassocks, you go and win a league game away at Horsham YMCA for the first time in 17 years.
Troak opened the scoring at Gorings Mead but the lead was short lived, Cameron Gyeabour equalising with YM’s first real foray forward.
Two moments of second half magic from Pitcher followed as he scored a brace of the highest quality to give Hassocks a 3-1 victory, their first in that part of the world since Pat Harding scored twice in 120 seconds in a 2-0 success back in November 2003.
October ended with an enthralling clash against Langney Wanderers at the Beacon, featuring no less than nine goals with six of those scored between Pitcher and Littlejohn. Langney took the lead through Tim Bennett within a minute of kick off as a ferocious wind blowing towards the Railway End left Hassocks with their work cut out defensively in the first half.
Despite conditions being against them, the Robins equalised through Pitcher and then led via Littlejohn. A Joe Summerbell goal looked like it would send the teams into the break level, only for Littlejohn to hit a crucial third for Hassocks in first half stoppage time.
With the wind now in their favour, the Robins were well placed to go on and win the game. Substitute Jamie Wilkes was involved in all four goals following his introduction on his home debut.
Litttlejohn completed his hat-trick on 78 minutes, two minutes later and Pitcher had his second and six minutes on from that, Troak joined the party to bring up Hassocks’ half dozen. Pitcher finished off the rout and his treble in injury time.
The Under 23s got their season up and running in October after a difficult start to the campaign in which they failed to win any of their opening four matches.
Their month began with a 4-2 defeat against Broadbridge Heath, Lewis Beebee scoring his first goals at Under 23 level. That was followed by a Sussex Under 23 Challenge Cup exit at the hands of East Preston.
The Robins first win came thanks to a George Galbraith-Gibbons first half brace as Oakwood were beaten 2-1 at Tinsley Lane. A first meeting at development squad level with Jarvis Brook followed, Hassocks winning a ding-dong game 3-2 thanks to two goals in the final five minutes from substitute Jay Hudson.
Sam Sales had given Brook a first half lead which Wilkes wiped out two minutes into the second half. Alex Hook put the visitors back ahead on 80 minutes before Hudson’s late heroics turned things around to give Hassocks their second three points of the season.
In their final game of the month, the Robins were beaten 1-0 at undefeated Crowborough Athletic. Edmund Lewis won it for the Crows with a superb strike from distance giving Dunkley in the Hassocks goal no chance.
There was a huge win for the Under 18s to kick off October as they beat a young Rottingdean Village side 18-0 in the first round of the Sussex Dennis Probee Youth Cup. In the goals at the Beacon were Beebee (2), Josh Sprigg (3), Alex Crawford (3), Beau Howard (2), Alfie Loversidge (3), Archie Russell (4) and Archie Messent.
Russell hit a hat-trick in the Robins’ next outing, a 6-0 win against Crawley Down Gatwick on their return to North Division action. Beebee was again amongst the goals and a brace from Howard rounded off the scoring.
Former Hassocks favourite Eddie French then brought his Billingshurst side to the Beacon in October’s final game. French knows a thing or two about what it takes to forge a good youth team having been part of one of the best Under 18s sides Hassocks have ever had, captaining Sussex at youth level and going onto play nearly 100 times for the Robins before leaving to play Isthmian League football with Horsham.
His Billingshurst side gave Hassocks their toughest test of the season up to that point, keeping the Robins out for most of the game until a late surge saw Howard, Messent and Crawford secure a 3-0 win.
The Ladies suffered three heavy defeats through October, losing 8-2 at home to Crawley Wasps, 7-0 against Ashford and 4-0 away at Lewes. Those two goals against Wasps came from Jess Craig and Katie Read.
