Hassocks make short hop to the Oaks for a fixture twice postponed
Will it be third time lucky for Hassocks’ away fixture at AFC Uckfield Town? Twice already the Robins have seen their short flight to the Oaks postponed due to weather in a season where waterlogged pitches have otherwise proven a rarity so far.
Hassocks had originally been due to visit on Saturday 4th December but that fell by the wayside after heavy rain in the lead up to the game.
The same fate befell the first rearrangement, scheduled for Saturday 8th January. Again, a week of terrible weather left the Oaks unplayable.
This game taking place two months later than it should have done means that Hassocks go to Uckfield with the prospect of overtaking their hosts in the Premier Division table should they return along the A272 with victory.
That prospect would have been unthinkable in mid-November when the Robins and the rest of the bottom four were cut miles adrift.
A run of five wins, four draws and three defeats from their last 12 matches in all competitions have given Hassocks a new lease of life.
After picking up an excellent 3-1 win at top 10 Crawley Down Gatwick in midweek, the Robins will be hoping to put further points on the board in their quest to escape the relegation battle.
AFC Uckfield Town this season
Ever since receiving a Premier Division relegation reprieve at the end of the 2016-17 season, AFC Uckfield Town have been a club on the up.
Year-by-year they have improved their finishing position. In 2020-21, they looked on course to record their highest ever spot under the management of Steve Ives and Graeme Mintrim, sitting fifth before the season was curtailed.
They have not managed to hit those heights this season following Ives’s appointment as sole boss. Ives is working with a young team and as Hassocks fans know all too well, that can make delivering consistent results challenging.
The Oakmen currently sit 16th in the table with four wins, 12 draws and 11 defeats from their 27 matches. The challenge for Ives and his players is to start turning some of those draws into wins in the remaining third of the season – although preferably only after Hassocks have visited.
AFC Uckfield v Hassocks head-to-head
There have been 18 meetings between the sides and the head-to-head is pretty balanced. Hassocks have won eight, Uckfield nine with only one draw.
That single stalemate unsurprisingly came earlier this season and was Uckfield’s third from their opening four games of the Premier Division campaign, offering Oaks fans an early indication of how their season was going to pan out.
If there is to be a second draw in the history of AFC Uckfield Town against Hassocks in game number 19, then it will probably involve goals. 73 have been plundered in fixtures between the sides to date at an average of over four per game.
Last time Hassocks played AFC Uckfield Town
The Oakmen were the first opponents who Hassocks picked up a point from this season when the sides met under the lights at the Beacon in the opening month of the campaign.
It finished 2-2, as already noted making it the only ever draw between the Robins and Uckfield. Jordan Badger took the headlines, marking his first game in over two years with an 87th minute equaliser after being thrown on as an emergency striker.
Hassocks’ other goal came from Alfie Loversidge. Uckfield meanwhile found the back of the net via Luke Blewden and Sam Carrington.
How to get to the Oaks
Follow the A272 east followed by the A26 towards Uckfield before joining the B2102 into the town centre itself. Turn right at the T-junction when meeting the high street and past the railway station.
When a fork in the road is reached, take the left hand option down Eastbourne Road with the ground being on the left by the Rajditt Restaurant.
Admission is £6 adults, £3 concessions and free for under 16s.
