LACKLUSTRE ROBINS OUTMUSCLED BY LOBSTERS IN JOHN’S PENULTIMATE GAME
Dave John suffered defeat in his final Saturday game in charge of Hassocks before retirement as a much-changed Redhill outfit secured a narrow 1-0 victory at the Beacon.
The Robins will have one final chance to send Johnsy upstairs to his new director of football role with a victory when Wick visit for the last Division One game of the season a week Tuesday.
Against the Lobsters, they were a little too naïve – hardly a surprise given the youthful look of the side – facing opponents with much more experience and muscle.
Hardly any of the Redhill side featured when Hassocks won 2-1 at Kiln Brow back in October, a mid-season overhaul having taken place.
The Robins for their part were without their two goal scorers from that earlier meeting. Anthony Hibbert continues to be sidelined with injury whilst Matt Amos has only been available sporadically due to his studies at Cambridge University.
Hassocks created very little in front of goal and Redhill number one Michael Czanner cannot have had many easier afternoons, not making one meaningful save across the 90 minutes.
Joel Harding in contrast was kept pretty busy. He was called into action as early as the seventh minute, denying Michael Dennis with a fine block. Minutes later and Harding pulled off an outstanding one-handed save from Tommy Brown.
Dennis forced Harding into another good stop on the half hour mark, just before Chris Brown limped off with an ankle injury.
Adam Williams took over, meaning that the Hassocks midfield was now made up of two 16-year-olds in Williams and Jamie Ingham alongside Michael Bates, the senior statesmen of the trio at the elderly age of 19.
It must have been one of the youngest midfields to ever grace the County League. The ages of all three combined were only just older than veteran right back Mickey Turner, who is yet to confirm his own retirement plans.
There is the chance that, like Johnsy, this could have been Turner’s penultimate game as a Hassocks player after a stellar career spanning over 580 appearances.
As well as their young midfield, the Robins also started with two teenagers in attack. Phil Johnson was rewarded for his sensational hat-trick which won the County Under 18 League Cup for the youth team on Thursday night in a 3-2 win over Arundel with his first start, alongside Laurence Robinson.
Both were willing runners whose pace looked like it could cause Redhill problems if the Robins could get them in behind. Hassocks though failed to do that, the result being that they did not muster an opportunity in the opening 45 minutes.
John changed tack at half time, introducing Richard Thomas as a focal point in attack to hold the ball up in place of Johnson.
Thomas though struggled to get into the game, seeming to still be suffering with the thigh strain that had hampered him on Tuesday night against Ringmer even as he scored past the Blues.
Spencer Slaughter was walking a tightrope in the second half after finding his way into referee Gary Croft’s notebook for a late tackle on the stroke of half time.
The lively Tony Reid did his best to take advantage, running at the Hassocks defence with the ball knowing that Slaughter had to be careful to get any challenge spot on.
Within two minutes of the restart, Harding had to save from Reid and the same player than waltzed through four Hassocks challenges, only to blaze over.
Lee Radford had another shot parried away by Harding before Redhill deservedly took the lead on 72 minutes. John Difford rose at the far post to head in a free kick from Brown.
The game petered out into a typical end of season affair after that, Hassocks never threatening and Redhill happy to see out the win.
Hassocks: Joel Harding; Mickey Turner, Pete Lear, Spencer Slaughter, Ashley Marsh, Richard Thompson; Michael Bates, Chris Brown, Jamie Ingham; Phil Johnson, Laurence Robinson.
Subs: Adam Williams (Brown 30), Richard Thomas (Johnson 45), Nathan Miles, Arni Kublickas (unused).
Starman: One of the most obvious choices of the season – Joel Harding for a string of fine saves which kept the score down.
