Benson and Harding get Hassocks back to winning ways in bonus Beacon game
With Godstone Road unable to host Lingfield against Hassocks, the Beacon found itself with a bonus fixture on the penultimate weekend of the Southern Combination League season.
The Robins put this unexpected home advantage to good use, running out 3-1 winners to snap their seven game winless streak and boost their chances of a first top half Premier Division finish since 2014.
Victory kept Hassocks 10th in the standings, moving them three points and four goals ahead of Little Common, who have a game in hand. That takes place against local rivals Bexhill United on Tuesday night.
Regardless of what happens there, the Robins know a win over Eastbourne Town in their final game of the campaign will secure their top 10 placing, an excellent achievement in James Westlake’s first year in charge.
This clash with Lingfield was the third time the sides have met this season. A Conor Wilford own goal which went viral with over 750,000 views on Twitter handed Hassocks a 1-0 FA Cup Extra Preliminary Qualifying Round win back in August whilst the previous league clash ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Neither game had been particularly feisty, so it was something of a surprise to see questionable challenges flying in from both teams in a heated 90 minutes.
Such was the tension that even Mike Williamson found himself in the middle of it. The normally placid and well-mannered midfielder was the victim of a terrible Haydn Dickinson tackle five minutes before half time worthy of a red card.
Dickinson followed up with a headbutt in the ruckus which followed, something referee Daniel Cooper must have missed. Nothing else could explain why it went unpunished with only Sam Smith ending up in the book.
Williamson then found himself serving a 10 minute spell in the sin bin early in the second half after Wilford converted a penalty which brought the scores to 2-1.
Not that playing shorthanded bothered Hassocks, their third goal of the afternoon arriving via Liam Benson whilst Williamson watched on from the bench.
It was Benson who opened the scoring for the Robins with 14 minutes on the clock via a poacher’s finish. Hassocks had a penalty claim so strong that the 21 other players on the pitch all stopped, waiting for Mr Cooper to point to the spot.
Benson though was not taking any chances and his decision to play to the whistle paid off when he smashed a right footed strike into the bottom corner after Mr Cooper remarkably said no penalty.
The Robins doubled the advantage on 37 minutes with a superb passing move which swept from one end to the other.
It began with James Shaw taking a short goal kick and ended with Super Pat Harding firing a clinical low drive beyond Lingers goalkeeper Tommy Sceal.
Falling two behind clearly did not sit well with Lingfield as the incident involving Dickinson came next, leaving the Robins incensed.
Hassocks channelled this anger in the right way, fashioning two more opportunities in the little time remaining before the break.
Jack Troak came on a charge forward from left back, only to hit a volley over the goal, the fence behind the goal and the trees on its way to the railway track.
It was the second Troak shot of the afternoon to pose a danger to passing trains following an almost identical effort resulting in a lost ball in the seventh minute.
Benson then had the ball in the back of the net on the stroke of half time, only for the goal to be correctly chalked off by the assistant referee for offside.
Lingfield enjoyed their best period immediately after the restart. Shaw was forced into a flying save on the stretch from Richard Wetton before Hassocks conceded that penalty on 56 minutes.
It was confidently despatched by Wilford, going someway towards banishing the memory of his fantastic own goal from eight months ago.
Having just scored and with Hassocks down to 10 for a period, the momentum should have been with Lingfield. The Robins therefore deserve a huge amount of credit for the way they not only nullified their opponents, but went onto kill the game off with the final goal of the afternoon.
Troak was the creator, delivering a beautiful ball from the left which Benson headed home from five yards for his 18th goal of the campaign.
Lingfield were left deflated and the game petered out from there with only one further opportunity coming for either side.
It fell to Harvey Blake, who ran the length of the pitch to beat three men and smash an effort last seen flying towards Hurstpierpoint for a third lost ball, much to the chagrin of Dave John.
Hassocks: James Shaw; Harvey Blake, Sam Smith, Alex Bygraves, Jack Troak; Alfie Loversidge, Mike Williamson, James Westlake, Joe Bull; Pat Harding, Liam Benson.
Subs: Josh Bradley (Bull 70), Oliver Parker-Williams (Harding 75) Sam Rogers (Westlake 80), Jamie Wilkes (Loversidge 82), Will Broomfield (unused).
Bedlam Brewery Starman: Liam Benson.
