Late Hassocks comeback pillages point from Pirates
Having won their past four games in succession – three of them against teams in the top six – the trip to Bexhill United almost became a classic case of after the Lord Mayor’s Show for Hassocks.
Miserable conditions and a miserable first half performance had the Robins trailing 2-0 to the Pirates with as little as 120 seconds of the 90 minutes to go. A miserable, long journey back looked assured.
But then Hassocks did what the best sides do – found a way to pillage points when playing far below their best. And the one point they sailed back to Mid Sussex with could yet prove very valuable later in the season.
It was earned thanks to goals from Jamie Wilkes and Josh Mundy, scoring in the 88th and 95th minutes respectively – the late, late equaliser leaving the home crowd stunned.
Two hours before kick off and there had been some doubt as to whether the game would go ahead as parts of the pitch were still hard after heavy overnight frost. The surface managed to thaw out but it made getting the ball down and playing football difficult.
Quality was therefore understandably lacking for the majority of the afternoon, although both Bexhill goals provided rare moments of class.
It took the Pirates only two minutes to open the scoring. Joe Summerbell will not hit many strikes more sweetly than his 25 yard, outside of the boot volley which gave Fraser Trigwell absolutely no chance of keeping it out.
Hassocks could not muster much in the way of a response to that early setback. Leon Turner seemed their most likely player to make something happen, making his first start since returning to the Robins from Littlehampton Town.
Turner drew a couple of fouls out on the left flank, setting the tone for the four yellow cards Bexhill would rack up.
Hassocks captain Alex Bygraves also entered the book of referee Stuart McKenzine for crunching Ollie Hull on the halfway line.
The Pirates had wanted a penalty just prior to that when Matt Gunn sent Jack Shonk to ground in the box. Gunn though had timed his sliding tackle to perfection, one of a number of important interventions he would be required to make through a first half dominated by Bexhill.
Trigwell was busy too, doing well to watch and smother a low drive from Aaron Cook which could have diverted anywhere off the lumpy, bumpy pitch.
The Hassocks number one then came and gathered an aerial through ball ahead of Shonk, taking a nasty whack from Bexhill’s captain in the process.
A Pirates’ corner had Hassocks all at sea next, Jamie Thoroughgood winning a header down which Shonk fired towards goal.
Trigwell proved equal to it, as he did again when using a cricketing-style long barrier to deny Hull one-on-one after the lively winger skipped inside from the left flank. A more routine catch from a Hull distance drive followed.
There was nothing Trigwell could do when the lively Hull doubled the Pirates advantage on 30 minutes. Collecting the ball just inside the Hassocks half, Hull drove at the Robins defence before unleashing a spectacular effort into the top corner.
Almost as spectacular was the celebration which followed, Hull treating the crowd to a very impressive backwards flip.
A thick mist began rolling in off the sea at the start of the second half. 27 miles east and the fog became bad enough for Newhaven’s home game with Crowborough Athletic to be abandoned with 10 minutes left to play due to poor visibility.
Given the final 10 minutes Hassocks were to have, the Robins will have been grateful proceedings at the Polegrove did not go the same way.
The visitors had huffed and puffed after the interval but with limited success really in terms of testing Alex Hobden.
Yet despite the frustration of making little inroads, Hassocks kept going and their fighting spirit was rewarded via that unlikely comeback.
Tall striker Wilkes was finding the back of the net for the fourth time in six matches. Seven minutes later and Mundy’s last gasp effort took a deflection to deceive Hobden.
Bexhill could scarcely believe it having also conceded in the 94th minute to lose 3-2 at Crawley Down Gatwick on Tuesday night.
Hassocks meanwhile moved level on points with Crowborough at the top of the table having now completed 50 percent of their league campaign. Who would have predicted that at the start of the season?
Hassocks: Fraser Trigwell; Bradley Tighe, Alex Bygraves, Matt Gunn, Joe Bull; Sean Stephenson, Josh Mundy, Jamie Wilkes, Leon Turner; Alfie Loversidge; Kyle Woolven.
Subs: Pat Harding (Loversidge 53), Tom Frankland (Stephenson 65), Julian Durand (Woolven 76).
