Tigers edge seven-goal thriller as playoff race goes down to final day
The race for the final Southern Combination Premier Division playoff spot will go down to the last day after both Mid Sussex clubs fluffed their lines in the penultimate game of the season.
Defeat on Tuesday night for Haywards Heath Town against Newhaven meant Hassocks knew four points from their final two matches would guarantee them fifth place ahead of their local rivals.
Heath meanwhile needed to win both their remaining games and hope Hassocks lost against either Saltdean United or in their own home fixture with Newhaven on April 27th.
Come 4.50pm and news reached Saltdean that Heath had suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat against 18th place AFC Varndeanians.
Drawing 3-3 against the Tigers, Hassocks now only needed to see out the final four minutes plus injury time to secure a playoff place.
A draw would have sufficed for Saltdean’s aims too; AFC Uckfield Town were losing to Midhurst & Easeboure, so a point guaranteed the Tigers’ Premier Division survival.
Both sides looked happy to settle for that until a through ball hit more out of hope than expectation caught the Hassocks defence flatfooted.
Harley Damario latched onto it, rounded Fraser Trigwell and rolled into an empty net with 88 minutes on the clock to decide a crazy game 4-3 in favour of the Tigers.
Saltdean celebrated wildly. Hassocks looked crestfallen. Football, bloody hell, as Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said.
Yet when the dust settles, the Robins’ fate is still at least in their own hands. Avoid defeat against Newhaven at the Beacon in a fortnight and they will be in the playoffs.
Whilst quality football was in short supply due to the bumpy Hill Park surface, entertainment value was high in a game which ebbed and flowed from the moment Damario gave Saltdean an 18th minute lead.
Ex-Robin Alfie Edmeads found a gap between Dan Turner and Matt Gunn to send Damario clear. Trigwell charged from his line but Damario got their first to slot home.
Saltdean were ahead for only four minutes before Turner and Gunn combined to haul the Robins level. A trademark trebuchet throw from Turner 30 yards down the pitch enabled Gunn to loop a header over home goalkeeper Jordan Hawkins.
The Tigers almost responded immediately when another through ball sliced Hassocks open to leave Damario in one-on-one again.
Trigwell slipped when coming out to narrow the angle, giving Damario an empty goal to aim at. Thankfully for the Robins, he screwed wide.
Up the other end and Hawkins tipped over a delicate lob from Mike Williamson before Hassocks took the lead via a first goal in senior football for Micael Fatela.
Joe Bull won a vital last man tackle, from where the ball found its way beyond the Satldean back line. Fatela was on it like a shot and produced a superb finish, lobbing the bouncing ball over Hawkins to just drop under the crossbar.
That was on 33 minutes. Six later and Saltdean equalised in hugely controversial circumstances. Referee Nathaniel Roff awarded Hassocks a free kick before changing his mind after consultation with his assistant.
The Tigers made a hash of taking the reversed set piece quickly, putting it out for a goal kick. That should have been that.
Mr Roff though pulled play back to give Saltdean another chance. Edmeads duly moved the ball 15 yards forward from where whatever the original offence was occurred, swung it over and Ben Whitmore scored.
To say Hassocks were incensed would be an understatement. The boot though was on the other foot when the Robins retook the lead five minutes into the second half.
Raging Bull delivered a corner, chaos broke out and Gunn sent an effort towards goal in the middle of it all.
The current building work installing a new Clubhouse, stand and 3G pitch at Hill Park means spectators can only view from one-and-a-half sides of the ground. Most were therefore perfectly placed to see the ball did not cross the line.
Mr Roff and his assistant were not blessed with as a good a vantage point, however, and they awarded Gunn his second and Hassocks their third goal of the afternoon.
Fraser Middleton volleyed Saltdean level on 70 minutes with a stunning, outside of the boot strike from 25 yards which had shades of Marco van Basten about it.
Still Hassocks looked the most likely winners after being pegged back. Leon Turner hit the bar following magic footwork from Alex Fair, Hawkins denied Troak from point blank range and Whitmore made a heroic block on the line as Fatela followed up.
But then Damario struck, Saltdean were safe and the Robins left facing a date with destiny against the Dockers.
Hassocks: Fraser Trigwell; Harvey Blake, Matt Gunn, Dan Turner, Joe Bull; Leon Turner, Michael Fatela, Mike Williamson, Alex Fair; Jamie Wilkes; Jack Troak.
Subs: Sean Stephenson (L Turner 76) Faris Khalloqui (Fair 80), Bradley Tighe, Alfie Loversidge, Josh Mundy (unused).
