Support the Robins and Hassocks Community Food Bank on Non-League Day 2024
Hassocks host in-form Crawley Down Gatwick on Non-League Day 2024 and to mark the annual celebration of grassroots football, admission to the Beacon is half price for anyone who brings an item for Hassocks Community Food Bank.
Adults with a donation for the Food Bank will pay £4 to watch and concessions £2, down from the normal prices of £8 and £4. Entry remains free for under 16s.
The Food Bank are currently in need of gluten free products like cereals, biscuits and tinned meat. They are also short of squash, coffee, oil, bleach, multipurpose spray and sanitary towels.
Last season’s Non-League Day collection saw more than 300 items donated by supporters of the Robins and Newhaven before an entertaining 2-2 draw played out.
With Hassocks in the thick of the playoff race, Crawley Down having finished as Southern Combination League runners up last year and both sides scoring plenty of goals, fingers crossed the action on the pitch once again matches the generosity off it.
Crawley Down Gatwick this season
It has been something of a hangover season for the Anvils and nobody can blame them for that after their exertions in 2022-23.
Not only did they come within three points of beating Broadbridge Heath to the Southern Combination League title last April, but they then suffered the disappointment of playoff defeat against Sutton Common Rovers which denied them promotion to the Isthmian League.
Down were slow to start the current campaign as they recovered from the double blow but are now into the top 10 and eyeing up a finish as high as eighth.
Their form since the turn of the year has been particularly impressive, including hitting four goals in each of their past three matches.
Maintain that over the course of next season and it would be no surprise to see them back amongst the promotion candidates in 2024-25.
Hassocks v Crawley Down Gatwick head-to-head
Hassocks v Crawley Down used to be one of the highest-scoring games on the Southern Combination League circuit, regularly throwing up ridiculous results such as 5-3 and 6-4 wins for the Robins.
That means the head-to-head shows 90 goals from 28 meetings, although things have calmed down considerably recently. The four most recent clashes between the two include three 1-0 wins and a 0-0 draw.
Of those 28 matches, the Robins have won 13 with 10 victories for Down. There have been five draws in total.
Last time Hassocks played Crawley Down Gatwick
“It wasn’t a game for the neutral, put it that way,” was the assessment of James Westlake after the sides met at the Haven back in October. And he was right.
Raging Joe Bull struck the only goal of the game on 23 minutes to give Hassocks a 1-0 win, having only landed back at Gatwick the morning of the game from watching Brighton away against Marseille in the Europa League.
Matchday information
Kick off is at 3pm. Card and cash payments are accepted on the gate and in the Clubhouse. Donations for the Food Bank will be collected at the turnstiles.
The T Bar will be open serving hot food and drink, and the Robins Bar has a wide selection of craft beer from local breweries along with other alcohol. Dogs are welcome and a printed programme will be on sale for £1.
If using Google Maps to walk from Hassocks Station or the village, please do not take the footpath into Butcher’s Wood. There is no crossing point over the railway line or way of entering the Beacon.
Instead, follow Keymer Road towards Hurstpierpoint, turn left at Stonepound crossroads and walk down London Road towards the ground.
