Hassocks and Burgess Hill Town face off to raise money for St Peter & St James’ Hospice
Hassocks and Burgess Hill Town will meet for the ninth Ann John Trophy at the Beacon with the Robins hoping to end their neighbour’s dominance of the annual pre-season fixture.
Hill have won the past four matches in a row, racking up 21 goals along the way. Such high scores means that entertainment is always guaranteed – there has never been a game with less than three goals – whilst more importantly, over £10,000 has been donated since 2014 to St Peter & St James’ Hospice.
Everything raised on the evening goes to the hospice in memory of Ann John, who we sadly lost to cancer in January 2014. Admission is by pay-what-you-can-afford donation with the T Bar and Robins Bar both open serving their normal array of hot and cold food and craft beer.
Hill having a monopoly on the trophy is something of a recent development. The first two editions saw the silverware shared following a pair of 2-2 draws.
There were goals from Phil Johnson and a Dan Jacques screamer (really did happen) ahead of the 2014-15 season. In 2015-16, Hill led twice thanks to Pat Harding and Lee Harding, only for Jake Booth and Jamie Hillwood to level things up each time.
The 2016-17 campaign saw Hassocks win the trophy outright for the first and only time so far. Hillwood was again on target along with Liam Benson and Craig Knowles as the Robins beat a young Hillians side 3-0.
Hassocks were 3-0 ahead at half time in the 2017-18 match through Michael Death and two from James Westlake. Hill rallied though and a stunning comeback was completed when former Robins favourite Sam Fisk grabbed a later equaliser.
That was the last time Hassocks had one hand on the trophy. 2018-19 saw the Hillians win 4-0 thanks to a brace from Aaron Smith-Joseph, a Kieron Pamment penalty and a Billy Barker tap in.
In 2019-20, the visitors edged a 3-2 thriller. Twice the Robins led, first through Johnson and then Will Broomfield. Warren Mfula and Tom Cadman levelled things up both times and it looked like the Trophy would be shared again until Mfula notched his second of the evening with just two minutes remaining.
The 2020-21 match was held in December as Covid-19 restrictions meant fans could not attend matches during pre-season. Despite the cold and the Clubhouse being closed, a record-breaking £1500 was raised for St Peter & St James.
That was the good news. The bad news was that Hassocks were easily swept aside, losing 8-1 to a strong Hillians outfit. Harding, Smith-Joseph, Connor Tighe (2), Samson Doherty, Nathan Cooper, Max Miller and Tom Chalaye all scored. Jack Troak got the Hassocks consolation.
Last season saw Hill run out 6-0 winners. Miller claimed a hat-trick, Martyn Box scored an excellent free kick and former Robins George Brown and Harding completed the rout.
The good news for Hassocks is that Harding cannot score against them on this occasion. The Hill legend called time on his 11 years at the More Than Tyres Stadium at the end of last season, returning to the Robins on a permanent basis 16 years after leaving for Eastbourne Borough.
Both Hassocks and Burgess Hill have won two and lost one of their three friendly fixtures so far. The Robins opened with a 1-0 defeat to Epsom & Ewell before beating both Arundel and Shoreham 4-2.
Having faced only Southern Combination League Division One opponents, Hill will provide a step up in class for Hassocks. The Robins then face another Isthmian South East club this weekend at the Beacon when Whitehawk visit.
Hill meanwhile defeated two of Hassocks’ fellow Premier Division outfits, beating Loxwood 6-2 and Steyning Town 4-0. Jay Lovett’s side were then defeated 3-1 by Isthmian Premier Lewes on Saturday.
