Hassocks score big wins over Southern Combination Division One opponents
Two pre-season friendlies in the space of four days saw Hassocks put 11 goals past Southern Combination League Division One opponents.
The Robins started the rout on Saturday afternoon against Forest Row. A lunchtime kick off at Worth School saw Hassocks run out 3-1 winners.
Frow have appointed a new management team of former East Grinstead Town duo Grant Hearn and Andy Willis for the upcoming campaign.
There is a further feelgood factor around thanks to a groundshare agreement being struck with East Grinstead.
The move to the Vistavis Community Stadium brings the club closer to Forest Row, having spent the past few seasons playing home matches at Oakwood.
Frow proved a good test and based on their showing against the Robins, should expect to improve on last season’s battle against relegation into intermediate football.
Tuesday night saw Montpelier Villa provide the first opposition of pre-season at the Beacon. Hassocks wasted little time in impressing the home faithful, racking up an 8-0 success.
Morgan Vale opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Jamie Wilkes was unceremoniously tripped on a giraffe-like run into the penalty area.
The rangy Wilkes provided the second goal himself. A low cross into the box found its way to the tall striker, whose technique of attempting to trap the ball between his legs before volleying into the roof of the net whilst falling over was interesting to say the least.
Vale added the third when his well-time run saw him spring the Villa offside trap to latch onto a brilliant Darren Budd through ball.
With the Villa goalkeeper advancing, Vale produced a delicate dink over the visiting number one which left watching chairman Pat Harding stood directly behind the goal delighted.
Harding missed goal four as he made his way around to the Dave John Lounge shortly after. Josh Mundy swung over a corner met by a towering Will Berry header.
Berry almost had another when Bull delivered a corner from the opposite side. The defender met it with a ridiculously cheeky back heel scrambled off the line by a combination of Villa defender and goalkeeper.
Raging Bull added the fifth with the goal of the night. Picking up possession just inside the Villa half, he glided past four defenders to enter the area and pick out the bottom corner with a low, hard drive.
The Villa goalkeeper next made good saves from Berry and a Big Alex Fair volley. Fair then bamboozled two defenders with trademark Cruyff turns before scooping the ball miles up into the air. It dropped down to crash against the post in what was a frankly absurd piece of skill and thinking.
Liam Hendy made it 6-0 before half time when turning home a low Mundy free kick. Hassocks understandably eased up following the break and it was not until midway through the second 45 minutes they had their first sight of goal.
The Villa goalkeeper made a fine treble save to deny Vale, Wilkes and lastly Mundy. There was nothing he could do though when Robins captain Hendy headed home a Bull free kick for goal number seven.
Budd then rounded off the scoring, bending a direct free kick through a gap in the wall from 25 yards to pick out the near corner.
