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Nothing says Valentine’s Day like a night at the Saffrons

2 years ago

Robins hoping it will be fourth time lucky for the trip to Eastbourne Town

Valentine’s Day is here and where better to spend it than the Saffrons, where Hassocks will hope to get their game against Eastbourne Town played at the fourth time of asking.

The fixture was first supposed to take place in November but had to be postponed due to Town’s involvement in the FA Vase.

A December date was set for the rearranged tie, only for the freezing weather to wipe out two weeks worth of Southern Combination League matches.

Attempt number three was lost to a waterlogged pitch in January, meaning that the Robins now spend the most romantic day of the year down on the Sunshine Coast.

Forget overpriced greetings cards and flowers which will be dead within a few days, a proper Valentine’s present would be Hassocks winning at Eastbourne Town for the first time since the 2005-06 season.

Eastbourne Town this season

Eastbourne Town bid farewell to one of the longest serving managers in the Premier Division when John Lambert stood down in the summer.

He has been replaced by former Whitehawk boss Jude Macdonald. Under Lambert, Town had always been notoriously slow starters to the season before finding rhythm from autumn onwards.

This time around it has taken until the winter for Town to embark on their normal climb up the standings but it has now started in earnest.

Having been as low as 14th when the Robins were meant to go to the Saffrons in the middle of November, Town are now up to fifth with 14 wins, six draws and six defeats to their name.

For an indication of the scale of the task facing Hassocks, Town have lost just three of their past 23 matches against Southern Combination League opponents.

Hassocks v Eastbourne Town head-to-head

This is a fixture which Eastbourne Town tend to enjoy. Of the 39 previous matches, Town have won 24 with just nine Hassocks victories and six draws along the way.

Only once in Town’s current spell as a Southern Combination League club beginning in 2014 have the Robins tasted victory.

That came in the 2016-17 campaign. Phil Gault scored twice at the Beacon and former Town goalkeeper James Broadbent saved a penalty to secure a shock win for Mark Dalgleish and Phil Wickwar’s Robins.

As already mentioned, it is 17 years now since Hassocks lost won at the Saffrons, a 1-0 success in which Stuart Faith scored the only goal of the game. The Robins have earned a solitary point in nine subsequent Premier Division visits.

Last time Hassocks played Eastbourne Town

The sides met in the second round of the Sussex Senior Cup at the Beacon in December. Frankie Chappell headed home with 13 minutes played thanks to some slack Hassocks marking from a corner and that was that as Town triumphed 1-0.

Hassocks could count themselves a little unfortunate not to force penalties at the least. They hit the woodwork three times whilst visiting goalkeeper Chris Winterton made some seriously impressive interventions.

It was not all one-way traffic though. Town had two good spells of their own in a game which ebbed and flowed, the first coming just after taking the lead and the second including an extraordinary Joe Southam save at full stretch to deny Leon Greig in the second half.