Title chasing Barrowmen wheel to Beacon victory inside of 45 minutes
Did the Beacon play host to the 2023-24 season Southern Combination Premier Division champions on Saturday?
Based on the way Steyning Town dismantled Hassocks 4-0 in a manner no other side has managed so far this campaign, the Barrowmen will take some stopping in their quest for a first league title since 1986.
True, the Robins were nowhere near their best. But even had they matched the high level Hassocks fans have been treated to in what has been an exceptional season so far, they still would have struggled against their South Downs neighbours.
You only have to look at some of Steyning’s cup results to see the challenge the Robins were facing. In the FA Cup, Steyning went all the way to the second qualifying round and a home game with Maidstone United – the same Maidstone United taking on Coventry City in the fifth round on Monday night.
The Barrowmen have eliminated both Brighton Under 21s and Burgess Hill Town from the Sussex Transport Senior Cup on a run which has taken them all the way to the semi finals.
Victory over Horsham at Culver Road on Tuesday night will see them become the first Southern Combination side to reach the showpiece final of Sussex non-league football in other 30 years.
With one eye firmly on midweek, Steyning boss Kevin Green would no doubt have been delighted that his side had three points from their trip to Hassocks in the bag before half time.
The Barrowmen led 3-0 going into the interval through goals from Tom Chalaye, Nathan Cooper and Jack Barnes.
Steyning understandably grasped the opportunity to ease up and take their foot off the pedal after the break.
It subsequently looked like the second half was going to finish goalless until Chalaye notched again in the eighth minute of injury time to add one final lick of gloss to the scoreline.
Chalaye’s first of the afternoon arrived at the opposite end timewise, coming with only four minutes on the clock.
A cross from Charlie Meehan on the right was drilled low and hard across the edge of the box to Chalaye, who curled a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Hassocks enjoyed a good spell of possession in the middle of the park after falling behind but were never able to turn it into anything troubling Lucas Szendela-Goetzke in the Steyning goal.
In amongst expertly soaking up the pressure, the Barrowmen also looked dangerous on the counter. One lightning quick break resulted in Matt Gunn making a superb clearance off the line when a Billy Fuller cross was headed towards goal by Meehan.
Gunn’s intervention succeeded in only delaying Steyning doubling their lead by six minutes. A corner dropped to unmarked ex-Robin Cooper at the back post, who side footed home with ease.
Unlike when conceding the opener, the Robins showed no composure this time around. Steyning’s midfield two of Barnes and Ross Edwards started to get on top in the engine room, whilst the link up between Meehan and right back Charlie Weller was beginning to cause Joe Bull all kinds of problems.
Hassocks needed half time to arrive and the chance to regroup. Had they made it into the interval only 2-0 behind, there remained a slim chance they could have got back into it.
Instead, Raging Bull got caught the wrong side of Meehan in the fourth minute of stoppage time. In trying to retrieve the situation, Bull only succeeded in bringing down the Barrowmen winger from behind to concede a stonewall penalty.
Visiting captain Barnes was as cool as you like on taking duties, firing down the middle as Fraser Trigwell dived left.
Things petered out into a largely uneventful affair after the break. Steyning were content to revert to sitting deep as they had during that first half period of Hassocks possession.
The Robins created a couple of half chances for Leon Turner, Jack Troak and Big Alex Fair but nothing substantial enough to either worry or exert Szendela-Goetzke.
Proceedings seemed to be meandering to a 3-0 Barrowmen win when Chalaye suddenly popped up with that late fourth goal for the visitors.
Lloyd Francis and substitute Jared Rance combined to release Chalaye down the left flank, from where he headed towards goal and rounded Trigwell before rolling into the now-empty net.
Hassocks: Fraser Trigwell; Bradley Tighe, Matt Gunn, Dan Turner, Joe Bull; Leon Turner, Jamie Wilkes, Mike Williamson, Sean Stephenson; Alex Fair; Jack Troak.
Subs: Pat Harding, Alfie Loversidge, Tom Frankland, Nathan Miles, Harvey Blake (used).
Starman: Jamie Wilkes.
