GAULT DOUBLE ENDS UNITED RESISTANCE TO HELP HASSOCKS REACH THE MAGIC 40
The first target Hassocks set themselves every season is reaching the magical 40 point mark which guarantees County League Division One survival for another year.
Rarely do the Robins achieve the tally before the final weekend of January, as they now have thanks to a 2-1 home win over bottom side Eastbourne United Association.
For Mickey Jewell to have secured safety with three months of the campaign still to run is a sign of the progress being made at the Beacon under his management. The question now turns to how high can Hassocks finish?
If they want to come close to eclipsing the club’s best ever position of sixth set in the 2006-07, then they will need to play better this.
The one moment of quality was the winning goal from Phil Gault with 10 minutes remaining, a superb distance strike curled with power and precision from a full 30 yards.
It hit the underside of the bar and bounced down over the line, giving Gault his second of the afternoon and finally breaking the plucky resistance of a young United side.
The visitors were obviously buoyed by their first win of the campaign, which arrived when beating Crowborough Athletic last weekend.
Hassocks also came into the tie in good spirits. The Robins had an enjoyed an excellent 2-1 victory at Rye United in midweek.
Following it up with three more points against Eastbourne United made it successive league wins for Hassocks for the first time since the end of September.
This was United’s second visit to the Beacon this season. They are much changed from the side hammered 7-1 in the FA Cup back in August.
There is a new man in the dugout, Paul Daubeney, and he has put his faith in youth as United seek to build for next season in Division Two. Relegation looks a certainty barring a miracle or a sparing by the ground grading gods.
The inexperience and naivety of United showed during the opening 20 minutes when the Robins could and should have been out of sight.
Hassocks start positively. Gault headed over from an Elliott Butler freekick inside 30 seconds, Nathan Miles saw an effort cleared off the line and Kieran O’Callaghan put a free header over the bar from a Butler corner.
Spencer Slaughter and Lee Waterhouse combined well to play in Neil Kane, but his lack of match fitness was evident when shooting tamely at Grant Fritzgerald in the United goal.
Jamie Weston was getting a lot of joy down the left flank and he exchanged neat passes with Kane before laying off to Miles who fired over the bar.
The Robins became increasingly frustrated as the half wore on about the stop-start nature of the game. United players were consistently going down a little too easily for treatment, disrupting the flow of the hosts.
Referee Barrie Small did not help matters by blowing up for fouls which he appeared to be the only person present seeing, leaving players and supporters alike totally baffled.
It looked like United slowing the game would enable them to get into half time level until Hassocks scored a goal of supreme simplicity six minutes before the break.
Unsurprisingly, it came from another Butler delivery. This time, he whipped over a free kick with that trusty left foot of his.
Gault rose unchallenged at the far post to beat Fitzgerald with a header perfectly powered out of the reach of the visiting goalkeeper.
United had been non-existent as an attacking threat, leaving Jack Simpson a virtual spectator. Simpson and Hassocks though had a nasty shock with the second half only two minutes old.
A rare foray forward earned United a corner and when the ball in was flicked on inadvertently by a red head, it fell invitingly for burly United defender Dave Smart to volley home crisply from 12 yards and shock the Beacon.
That knocked Hassocks’ confidence. They had lots of possession but their build up play became pedestrian and predictable.
Dan Smith replaced Kane on the hour as Jewell sought to change things up. The big striker had an immediate impact as he met a Rob South cross with a header straight at Fitzgerald.
Smith was then denied what looked a blatant penalty when he took the ball around Fitzgerald, who in turn bundled Smith over. Mr Small waved away the claims.
Next came an acrobatic overhead kick from Smith which was just over the bar. A reinvigorated Robins were now beginning up the pressure, leaving United desperately hanging on.
Eventually, Hassocks got their goal thanks to Gault’s piece of magic. Smith tucked in the rebound when the ball came back off the bar and bounced down, but there was no doubt it belonged to Gault.
Hassocks survived a late scare when Adam Daubeney fired over in injury time as the Robins failed to clear a corner, after which the final whistle went.
The relief around the Beacon was there for all to see. The three points maintains Hassocks’ position in the top five.
Hassocks: Jack Simpson; Rob South, Ashley Marsh, Kieran O’Callaghan, Elliott Butler; Lee Waterhouse, Nathan Miles, Phil Gault, Spencer Slaughter, Jamie Weston; Neil Kane.
Subs: Dan Smith (Kane 60), Anthony Hibbert (Miles 77), Steve Hudson, Reece Wickwar (unused).
Starman: Kieran O’Callaghan had an assured afternoon at the back but goes to Phil Gault for his goal scoring brace.
