Hassocks head to Loxwood looking to maintain their impressive away form
The battle of the Southern Combination League Premier Division birds takes place at the Nest with the Robins of Hassocks taking flight to meet the Magpies of Loxwood.
Plaistow Road has never been a happy hunting ground for Hassocks. Since Loxwood won promotion ahead of the 2014-15 season, the Robins have won just once at the Nest.
Not that it is an unfamiliar ground to many of these Hassocks players. Head coach James Westlake previously worked as assistant at Plaistow Road under Spencer Slaughter, helping the Magpies to the final of the Supplementary Shield in 2021.
After Slaughter and Westlake’s departure from Loxwood a few months later, several former Magpies followed their old management team to the Beacon.
Hassocks now count upon ex-Loxwood players Lewis Westlake, Sam Smith, Leon Turner, Tom Frankland and Charlie Broad.
Such familiarity is sure to add extra intrigue as Hassocks head to the Sussex/Surrey border looking to continue their decent away form, which has yielded nine points already this season.
Loxwood this season
A bottom two finish last season saw Loxwood spared relegation from the Premier Division by ground grading and the restructuring of the pyramid as only East Preston were demoted.
The Magpies had actually enjoyed a decent upturn in form from the appointment of Ian Payne and Lee Kennedy in January, only for AFC Varndeanians and Hassocks to also improve markedly following the turn of the year, leaving Loxwood behind.
Loxwood have understandably stuck with the same players by-and-large who delivered those results and currently sit in lower mid table with three league wins to their name.
One of those came against rock bottom Roffey but the other two were impressive victories over sides in the top eight.
The Magpies won 3-1 at Steyning Town in August and picked up a hugely impressive 4-1 success over Horsham YMCA in midweek.
Loxwood v Hassocks head-to-head
As already mentioned, the first meetings between the sides came in the 2014-15 campaign when Loxwood entered the Premier Division for the first time in their history.
Since then, there have been 14 matches, all of which have come in the bread and butter of league football. Hassocks have only won two of those.
A 6-2 success at the Beacon in September 2019 was preceded a year earlier with that only win at the Nest. Slaughter, Liam Benson and a Phil Johnson brace provided a 4-0 win for Mark Dalgleish’s side.
The last five games have by-and-large been hugely entertaining with 23 goals flying in at an average of more than four per match.
Last time Hassocks played Loxwood
A game not in keeping with recent goalfests between Hassocks and Loxwood. Both sides were desperate for points in the battle to avoid relegation back in February.
It was a fixture Hassocks could not afford to lose but one the Magpies really needed to win and so a final score of 0-0 at the Beacon suited the Robins more than their visitors.
Hassocks were the better side but could not take any of the chances which came their way. It left the gap between the Robins and Loxwood in the bottom three at three points when it really should have been extended to six.
How to get to the Nest
Follow the A272 to and through Billingshurst, crossing the roundabout with the A29 before joining the B2133 shortly after.
Pass through Newpound and Roundstreet Common, approaching a fork in the road with Skiff Lane. Plaistow Road is just on the left after that with the ground on your left a very short distance down it.
