Still no wins but Hassocks give leaders Peacehaven a fright
That first win of the season continues to elude Hassocks but if they can deliver frights like the one they gave Peacehaven & Telscombe at the Sports Park then it surely cannot be too far away.
A 3-2 victory for the hosts represented a fifth successive success and moved them level on points with early leaders and local rivals Saltdean United, who they faced in a tantalising derby clash on Bank Holiday Monday.
Hassocks were clearly facing no slouches and although Peacehaven dominated much of the evening in terms of possession, the Tye were extremely grateful to hear the full time whistle as Hassocks had them on the ropes whilst chasing a most unlikely of draws.
The performance of the Robins could not have been further away from their weekend showing, when they scored two own goals on their way to a 5-1 home defeat to Broadbridge Heath.
Head coach Brad Sweetman made four changes from the side beaten by the Bears, two of them in his defence. Dan Turner returned from an injury picked up on the opening day of the season and Luke Marshall was recalled from the bench to replace absent duo Arthur Rawlingson and Bradley Tighe.
17-year-old Sam Geard made his full debut in place of Ben Hicks and there was a first senior appearance for Jay Hudson, taking over from George Mitchell-Phillips in attack.
Former Burgess Hill Town man Hudson came into the clash in flying form having scored all four goals as the Under 23s beat Crowborough Athletic in their season opener the previous Thursday.
Peacehaven dominated the first 10 minutes without ever really testing Christian Kiddell, continuing in the Robins goal with Charlie Pugh still unavailable.
In fact, it was Hassocks who had the first chance of the match. Hudson was the man to fashion it, nearly marking his debut in perfect style when working his way into the area to fire in a shot was well repelled by Jake Hutson in the Tye goal.
Hassocks remained steadfast defensively right up until the half hour mark when Max Hollobone broke the deadlock in a spectacular manner.
There did not seem much on when the ball fell to the Peacehaven schemer on the edge of the box. That was until he fizzed in a powerful strike from 25 yards, giving Kiddell no chance.
Other than that Hudson opportunity, Hassocks had been a non-entity as an attacking force throughout the first half, instead content to focus on maintaining their shape and keeping Peacehaven at bay.
That changed though with the introduction of George Mitchell-Phillips for Hudson during the break as the teenage forward suddenly started asking questions of the Tye defence.
Initially at least, Peacehaven were unable to cope with the threat posed by Mitchell-Phillips. That eventually led to a Hassocks equaliser, Connor Bradley volleying home his first senior goal with 54 minutes on the clock.
Parity appeared to shake Peacehaven back into life and within 60 seconds of Bradley’s leveller, the hosts retook the lead. Louis Veneti and Tyler Scrafton combined to feed Jordan Pryor, whose strike clipped Kiddell’s post on its way to nestling in the back of the net.
Sweetman made a double change on 73 minutes in an attempt to try and wrestle something from the contest, Max Blencowe and Jude Wallis taking over from Bradley and Lewis Beebee respectively.
The first task of the new faces was unfortunately to watch Peacehaven add their third. It came from Scrafton, capping off a fine individual performance with a richly deserved goal which most home observers felt meant the game was done and dusted.
Some Hassocks observers were probably wondering not only the same thing, but also if another mauling might be on the cards for their young team with 15 minutes still to play.
Instead, the Robins showed commendable fight to force their second goal of the evening and set up a nervy finish for the Tye.
Captain Andy Whittingham was the scorer, choosing a timely moment to net only his second Hassocks goal in over 100 appearances when smashing home during a goalmouth scramble with 83 minutes showing on the clock.
Hassocks threw everything they could at the Peacehaven goal in the final seven minutes plus stoppage time but were unable to find a way through, much to the relief of Tye boss Mark Shutt and his players.
Peacehaven got the result they needed to move joint top. Hassocks too could be pleased with their evening’s work ahead of two home games in the space of 48 hours over the Bank Holiday weekend against Steyning Town and Lingfield as they chase that first win.
Hassocks: Christian Kiddell; Dan Turner, Luke Marshall, Andy Whittingham; Jack Gardner, Josh Short, Connor Bradley, Alfie Loversidge, Sam Geard; Jay Hudson, Lewis Beebee.
Subs: George Mitchell-Phillips (Hudson 45), Max Blencowe (Bradley 73), Jude Wallis (Beebee 73), Ben Hicks, Jayden Dunkley (unused).
