Bore draw will suit Hassocks in top four clash with Dockers
Trips to the Trafalgar Ground in days gone by have tended to see a struggling Hassocks side rocking up with only a faint hope of taking something from promotion pushing Newhaven.
Not so on this occasion. The Robins arrived on the banks of the River Ouse for a clash between the sides sitting third and fourth in the Southern Combination Premier Division standings.
Just one point separated the sides. The victors would climb into second. And with both teams amongst the most free-scoring in the league, this was a game which had all the ingredients to be a cracker.
Those factors combined with the 3G pitch at Fort Road meaning the game was guaranteed to go ahead despite the horrific weather saw a big crowd turn out.
In the end, the home support and the neutrals probably went home disappointed given that entertainment was in scant supply.
Hassocks, however, would have been pleased to come away from one of the toughest venues they will travel to this season with a 1-1 draw for their efforts.
Newhaven made a bright start and almost caught Hassocks cold inside of 30 seconds. The Robins survived that scare before being indebted to a goal line clearance from Bradley Tighe to prevent them falling behind with nine minutes on the clock.
A tricky run from Dockers right winger Harry Reed took him past the Hassocks defence and around Fraser Trigwell.
Reed’s effort from a tight angle just lacked the requisite power, allowing Tighe to recover and ensure it remained goalless.
That gave the Robins a wake up call and they began to see more of the ball, to the point it was actually against the run of play when Newhaven moved 1-0 ahead on 24 minutes.
Another driving run from Reed saw him go down in the box. Referee Mark Spence pointed to the spot, awarding a penalty which even Dockers fans felt was soft.
Newhaven took ruthless advantage of the gift, Alfie Rogers giving Trigwell no chance with a powerful effort.
Hassocks could not have wished for a better response to falling behind as they levelled less than a minute later.
Pat Harding drifted inside from the left and seemed somewhat surprised by the amount of time and space he had on the edge of the area.
Super Pat took a touch, set himself and picked out the bottom corner with unerring accuracy. Goal number 145 for the Robins, meaning the race to 150 is very much on.
Hassocks shaded the possession count over the remaining 20 minutes of the first half without ever really threatening the Dockers’ debutant goalkeeper Dan Gibson, standing in for the injured Jake Buss.
Trigwell was equally unemployed at the opposite end. Come the interval and it was a case of both sides cancelling each other out.
The second half continued in similar fashion. Hassocks kept the ball far better than their hosts but failed to do too much in the final third as Gibson enjoyed a relatively untroubled senior bow.
Trigwell was called into action with 73 minutes played. Lee Robinson has been the scourge of Hassocks so many times in the past and he did superbly to hold the ball up and lay off to Rogers.
Striking first time, Rogers could not have hoped for a cleaner connection. Trigwell through proved equal to it, making a flying save at the expense of a corner.
Like the proverbial London Bus, the crowd who had waited the best part of an hour for a goal scoring opportunity were suddenly treated to two in the space of 60 seconds.
The resulting corner was swung over for former Hassocks defender Josh Tuck to meet with a towering header. Robins captain Harvey Blake was perfectly positioned in the right place at the right time to hack clear.
One noticeable difference between Hassocks this season and last is that the Robins have learnt how to manage games.
Those two chances could have led to Newhaven coming on strong in the final 15. Instead, Hassocks reasserted control to ensure they comfortably saw out the time remaining.
If anything, the Robins were the more likely to find a winner without ever managing to sufficiently test Gibson.
Ultimately, not many teams will leave Newhaven with a point this season. Hassocks have rarely done so in the past. Another sign that times are changing for the Robins.
Hassocks: Fraser Trigwell; Harvey Blake, Bradley Tighe, Matt Gunn, Joe Bull; Sean Stephenson, Josh Mundy, Mike Williamson, Pat Harding; Jamie Wilkes; Liam Benson.
Subs: Alfie Loversidge (Harding 72), Kyle Woolven (Stephenson 85), Sam Smith (Benson 89), Tom Frankland, Micael Fatela (unused).
Starman: Bradley Tighe
