Hassocks head to Peacehaven & Telscombe for the opening game of the Premier Division campaign
The wait is over. After one of the busiest summers there has been at the Beacon for some time, Hassocks start their 2022-23 Southern Combination campaign with a trip to Peacehaven & Telscombe.
New Robins head coach James Westlake could not have asked for a much tougher start. The Window Workshop Sports Park has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for Hassocks, with just two wins from 13 previous visits.
The most recent of those came in the 2011-12 season. Mickey Jewell’s Robins set down a marker for a campaign in which they would achieve their best ever finish of fourth in the Premier Division with a stunning 3-0 success over one of the title favourites.
Peacehaven were reigning Southern Combination League champions on the occasion of Hassocks’ only other success away against the Tye. That came via a 2-0 victory in the 1996-97 season.
If Westlake and his new look squad were to end a decade of misery down on the cliffs of Telscombe, it would be quite a start to a new era at Hassocks.
Peacehaven & Telscombe last season
The Tye started last season in blistering form, winning six of their first seven games in all competitions. That included a 3-2 win over the Robins at the Sports Park, a result which took Peacehaven joint-top of the early season table.
Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain that form over the rest of the campaign. A final finishing position of eighth did represent a good year though for the Tye as their second-best placing since returning to the Southern Combination from the Isthmian League in 2016.
Hassocks v Peacehaven & Telscombe head-to-head
The Robins’ poor record against Peacehaven does not just end with trips to the Sports Park. Hassocks are not much better at home against the Tye, as the head-to-head reveals.
There have been 37 meetings in all competitions to date. Peacehaven have won 21, Hassocks eight and eight of the games have finished level.
Last time Hassocks played Peacehaven & Telscombe
Hassocks were at the start of their mid-season recovery when the Tye visited the Beacon in November for the last game between the sides.
The hosts ended up taking an excellent point from a 2-2 draw against free-scoring opponents, who arrived in Mid Sussex having plundered 30 goals in their six previous fixtures.
Peacehaven led twice, Tyler Scrafton ending the afternoon with a brace. Hassocks though battled back each time, Josh Short scoring from a cross-shot for the first equaliser followed by Lewis Westlake earning a share of the spoils with a brilliant 30 yard free kick from way out on the right.
Friends reunited
An added layer of interest comes from several players having switched between Hassocks and Peacehaven this summer. Westlake has managed to lure the Tye’s captain from last season Alex Bygraves to the Beacon.
Liam Benson has also returned to the Robins having played for Peacehaven for 18 months up until last winter, when he moved to Haywards Heath Town and then Saltdean United.
Going the other way, Bradley Bant has departed Hassocks for Peacehaven for the second time in his career having made the same move in 2018.
Tom Jupp can now be found at the Sports Park after playing for Hassocks Under 23s for the last few seasons, with former Robins goalkeeper Nathan Stroomberg-Clarke a new addition for the Tye from Whitehawk.
How to get to the Sports Park
Head to Brighton and join the A259 coast road bound for Eastbourne. After passing through Rottingdean and Saltdean, you will reach Peacehaven.
Just past the Evangelical Free Church on your left is Piddinghoe Avenue. The Sports Park is located at the end of the road. The postcode is BN10 8RJ.
