Hassocks make the long journey west for a tough test at the Rotherfield
Last week’s wet weather means there is no let up for Hassocks in this seemingly never ending run of away matches.
The visit of Crowborough Athletic to the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground being postponed means the Robins are now onto their eighth successive road trip, this time the long journey west to Midhurst & Easebourne.
Midhurst is one of the most difficult places to go on the Southern Combination Premier Division circuit, providing a tough test for a Robins side looking to bounce back from a heaviest defeat of the season last time out at Crawley Down Gatwick.
Midhurst & Easebourne this season
The Stags were threatening a playoff spot at the turn of the year but now find themselves 11th, 15 points off the top five.
Their home form still remains impressive, having lost just twice at the Rotherfield in all competitions since the end of October.
Hassocks will have to keep a close eye on Lewis Rustell, whose 22 goals so far leave him behind only Josh Irish of Wick and former Haywards Heath Town forward Lewis Finney in the race for the Premier Division golden boot.
Midhurst & Easebourne v Hassocks head-to-head
There have been 13 previous games, eight of which Hassocks have won and five of which Midhurst have been triumphant in.
Goals tend to be guaranteed; the Robins have 6-0 and 6-1 wins to our name from the early 1990s when the clubs were in Division One.
A 5-0 Stags victory in December 2022 meanwhile means they are responsible for Hassocks’ biggest defeat under James Westlake.
The earlier meeting in that 2022-23 season saw a crazy 4-3 draw in Mid Sussex in which all seven goals arrived in the first 45 minutes.
Last time Hassocks played Midhurst & Easebourne
Dan Turner crashed home an 89th minute volley on a dramatic November afternoon at the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground as the Robins came from behind to win 2-1.
Morgan Vale was the other Hassocks scorer, equalising on the hour after Rustell had given Midhurst a first half lead.
How to get to the Rotherfield
A surprisingly straightforward if very long journey awaits. Take the A272 through Cowfold, through Billingshurst and through Petworth until you reach Easebourne.
There will be a sharp left turn next to the Cowdray Park Polo Club, after which you take the second right onto Egmont Road.
Turn left at the end onto Dodsley Lane, an immediate right into Dodsley Grove and the ground is just on your right.
