Hassocks sail away from Newhaven with another valuable point
The lack of entertainment in this Non League Day clash between Newhaven and Hassocks at Fort Road was more than made up for by significant talking points surrounding both the goals in a 1-1 draw played out in front of a bumper crowd of 287.
Half price entry on the afternoon designated for celebrating everything good about the grassroots game lured in the masses, who were treated to a couple of Oscar-worthy performances a little over 24 hours before the 94th Academy Awards took place in Los Angeles.
Newhaven’s Lee Robinson was the first to flex his acting skills two minutes before half time, going to ground on the edge of the Hassocks area.
The Robins were left perplexed when referee Daniel Jeffrey fell for the dive. To make matters worse, Hassocks were unconvincing in dealing with the resulting free kick and eventually Lucas Franzen-Jones bundled home to give the hosts the lead.
120 seconds later and an even more questionable piece of acting from Robins left back Jack Baden earned Hassocks a penalty and the chance to go into the interval level.
Baden went down as if he had been shot by a sniper from Newhaven Fort. Mr Jeffrey pointed to the spot much to the anger of the Dockers players and fans, followed by captain Jack Troak successfully converting the spot kick to restore parity.
By full time, a draw was probably the right result. Newhaven had a lot of the ball but struggled to break down a dogged Hassocks defence, coping admirably in the absence of the suspended Bradley Tighe.
His place was taken by teenager Luke Marshall, who was outstanding alongside Dan Turner at the heart of the Robins’ back four.
Those in attendance not familiar with Hassocks could scarcely believe that no player in a defence completed by Baden and Arthur Rawlingson was over the age of 21, given the maturity with which they played.
Robinson, Franzen-Jones and Alfie Rogers have plundered 67 goals between them this season, so to restrict such quality to one on the scoreboard and very few other chances was a real feather in the cap for the Robins.
Hassocks had dented Pagham’s hopes of a top five finish the previous week when winning 1-0 at Nyetimber Lane. The Robins looked determined to carry on where they had left off in the opposite side of the county.
They started strongly as they aimed to secure another shock result, this time against a Newhaven side hanging onto the coattails of Littlehampton Town and Saltdean United in the title race.
Hassocks’ best chance of the first half prior to the manic finish came on the half hour mark. Lewis Westlake sent over a pinpoint corner and Turner rose highest but his header was the wrong side of the post.
Newhaven had not really made the most of playing with a decent wind blowing in their favour until Robinson produced his theatrics, leading to Franzen-Jones’ opener.
If that goal came somewhat out of the blue, then the Robins equaliser was even less expected in light of how close to the interval Newhaven had taken the lead.
43 rather turgid minutes had suddenly been followed by two minutes of high drama. Once the rights and wrongs of whether either goal should have happened had been dissected over the tea break, attention turned to the second-most important question – would the game now spark into life in the second half?
No was the answer. If anything, what happened after the interval was even more scrappy and unpleasant than what had gone before.
Hassocks knew that they were frustrating hosts who needed three points in their quest for a top two finish and the Robins seemed to revel in that.
This young Hassocks side have grown up quickly, mastering the dark arts necessary to survive at this level of football. They are more streetwise and less naïve than they had been in the opening months of the campaign, when heavy defeats were almost accepted with resignation.
Nothing summed that up better than when Rawlingson took one for the team in the final five minutes, throwing the ball away to earn a thoroughly deserved booking for timewasting. Newhaven hated it; Rawlingson and Hassocks loved it.
The Robins would have been less keen to run the clock down had the normally reliable Rogers converted a completely free header five minutes earlier.
It was certainly a let off from a Hassocks point of view, even though defeat would have been harsh on them.
The Robins go into a two week break unbeaten in four with FA Vase semi finalists and league leaders Littlehampton to visit the Beacon next, followed by a meeting with either the Marigolds or Chichester City in the final four of the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup.
Hassocks: Alex Harris; Arthur Rawlingson, Dan Turner, Luke Marshall, Jack Baden; Alfie Loversidge, James Westlake, Lewis Westlake, Jack Troak; Sam Smith, Josh Short.
Subs: Joe Bull (Loversidge 60), Charlie Broad (Smith 68), Alfie Edmeads (Troak 78), Bradley Bant, Phil Wickwar (unused).
