DEPLETED ROBINS DISAPPOINT AT RAYNES PARK VALE
Depleted as Hassocks might have been, they will still feel mightily disappointed to have exited the FA Cup at the first hurdle away at Combined Counties Premier outfit Raynes Park Vale.
Despite heading to Prince George’s Playing Fields with so many players missing, the Robins looked more than a match for their hosts until a disastrous second half spell saw them concede three times in 21 minutes.
The capitulation wiped out the early advantage Hassocks had taken through a Matt Carruthers header and a miserable afternoon was completed when Kieran O’Callaghan was sent off 25 minutes from time.
Mickey Jewell was without the services of Pete Lear, who had a pretty good excuse for missing the game as it was his wedding day.
Stuart Faith had cricketing commitments and Phil Gault and Anthony Hibbert joined long-term injury absentees Ashley Marsh and Sam Jeremiah in the treatment room.
Carruthers captained a young looking side, giving them the perfect start when opening the scoring with only two minutes on the clock.
Nathan Miles collected a short corner from Elliott Butler and floated over a cross which home goalkeeper Dean Cupit flapped against the bar.
The loose ball dropped kindly onto the head of Carruthers, who happily took advantage to nod into an empty net for his first goal in Hassocks colours.
One nearly became two straight from the restart. Phil Johnson pressed, intercepted a stray pass and found himself in one-on-one. Cupit did really well to force Johnson wide of goal, allowing Raynes Park to regroup and eventually scramble the danger away.
A clever one-two between Miles and Johnson set the latter away on 22 minutes and his pass found Laurence Robinson, only for Cupit to produce a fine stop.
Six minutes later and Robinson fired a powerful effort just over the bar following Butler’s surging run forward from left back.
After near-total Hassocks domination of the opening half hour, Raynes Park were able to get their dangerous front pairing more into the game as the clocked ticked towards the interval.
With no Marsh, Faith or Lear, Dan Jacques found himself deployed at centre back alongside Carruthers trying to deal with the pace of David Mosley.
This was something of a thankless task. Hassocks had a lucky escape when Mosley skipped past Jacques and crossed for strike partner Simon Moore to volley wastefully wide.
Vale right back Mark Skinner was then allowed to cover 70 yards of the pitch and whistle one just over Jack Simpson’s crossbar without a meaningful tackle going in.
Hassocks would have been glad for half time and the chance to regroup having finished under the cosh. But the 15 minute respite proved short lived as Raynes Park set about continuing where they left of, leading to an equaliser on 52.
Jamie Weston was harshly adjudged to have committed a foul 25 yards out from goal. Simpson was unable to hold the resulting free kick and with no Robins player following up, Moore was left with a tap in.
Five minutes later and the hosts took the lead. The goal came from a Hassocks corner cleared to Ato Andoh Okia.
Okia ran from the just outside the Raynes Park box all the way to the edge of the Robins area, where he let fly an unstoppable effort which gave Simpson no chance.
As good an individual goal as that was, Hassocks’ defending in backing off, backing off and backing off left an awful lot to be desired.
Young Stuart Brown on a rare start at right back had to make two first class last ditch tackles to keep the Robins in the tie as Raynes Park continued to pour forward.
Those interventions came either side of substitute Lee Waterhouse cutting inside his man and drawing a sprawling save from Cupit.
Given his earlier work, it was a shame for Brown that he was the player who lost possession when Vale scored their killer third on 73 minutes. Peter Hickford picked up the ball, reached the by-line and crossed for Moore to convert.
Hassocks were adamant there had been a handball in the build up ignored by the referee, to the point where O’Callaghan received a second yellow for protesting too vehemently in his own firm, unique manner using long words rather than swear words.
Johnson saw an effort touched onto the bar by Cupit after a neat exchange with Weston which might have set up an interesting last 10 had it gone in.
Instead, Raynes Park were able to see the remaining time out relatively comfortably. Hassocks were left to rue that poor second half – and they had plenty of time to do so when one of their minibuses broke down on the side of the A23 on the way home, leaving a disgruntled Jewell and some of his players stranded.
Hassocks: Jack Simpson; Stuart Brown, Matt Carruthers, Dan Jacques, Elliott Butler; James Westlake, Nathan Miles, Kieran O’Callaghan, Phil Johnson, Jamie Weston; Laurence Robinson.
Subs: Lee Waterhouse (Miles 63), Chris Maynard (Robinson 71), Andy Whittingham, Josh Hawkes, Reece Wickwar (unused).
Starman: Stuart Brown put in some key blocks on a rare start at right back, but it goes to Matt Carruthers for another solid game at the heart of the defence.
