SEVENTH HEAVEN AS ROBINS KICK OFF FA CUP CAMPAIGN IN STYLE
It was seventh heaven for Hassocks as they swept into the preliminary qualifying round of the FA Cup with a 7-1 demolition job of Eastbourne United Association at the Beacon.
This was a real statement of intent as new boss Mickey Jewell flexed all the muscle of his talented squad to blow away the Robins’ woeful Division One rivals.
Jewell had given debuts to six new signings in the first game of the season against Selsey on Tuesday night and he rang the changes for this one.
Out went Rob South, Andy Whittingham, Lee Waterhouse, Spencer Slaughter, Chris Maynard and Dan Smith and in came Luke Akehurst, Pete Lear, Richard Thompson, Daley Clark, Sam Jeremiah and Neil Kane.
Keeping so many good players happy could prove to be Jewell’s biggest challenge in his first season at the helm but it is a good dilemma to have after a couple of years of struggle for the Robins.
For all the new arrivals to the Beacon over the summer, it was one of their stalwarts who got the party started against United as Anthony Hibbert notched his 100th goal for the club with 15 minutes showing on the clock
A simple through ball straight down the middle from Phil Gault caused far more problems that it should have from a United point of view and that allowed Hibbert to race through, latch onto the pass and slot the ball past Adam Sargeant.
Hibbert joins James Laing, Pat Harding and Robbie Kitchen on the century makers list, an impressive feat given those three were all centre forwards and Hibbert has spent his entire Hassocks career in midfield.
Hassocks’ second was a carbon copy of their first, this time Clark playing the pass that sent Kane away to double the advantage with his first goal of the season.
United pulled one back on the half hour mark when Steve Reeve’s shot deflected into the path of Shane Saunders who finished well from inside the box.
That led to a sustained period of United pressure for the remaining 15 minutes of the half but for all their possession, they weren’t able to seriously test Mike Abbott in the Hassocks goal as the home back four of Akehurst, Lear, Ashley Marsh and Thompson stood firm.
The Robins reached half time with their slender lead intact before completely blowing away their visitors with five unanswered goals in the second half.
The first of those arrived five minutes after the restart and once again it was another through ball down the middle that proved to be United’s undoing.
Kieran O’Callaghan was the architect with Kane’s searing pace taking him in on goal and around Sargeant for a cool finish.
Clark added the fourth on 55 minutes when he hit an effort from the edge of the box which Sargeant looked to have covered, only for an unfortunate deflection to take it away from the United goalkeeper and in to the back of the net.
Jewell turned to his bench and made three quick substitutions, introducing three of those players he’d chosen to rest as Smith, Maynard and Waterhouse replaced Kane, Gault and Hibbert respectively.
They each impressed in the 20 minutes or so they were afforded, playing a part in Hassocks’ final three goals. Firstly, Waterhouse played a delightful lofted ball over the top which sent Smith in on goal.
The young striker still had plenty to do but he produced a sublime piece of skill to take out a defender and Sargeant in one move, leaving an open goal into which he tapped in his first goal for the Robins.
Waterhouse also created Hassocks’ sixth when he found Maynard sliding in at the back post with 10 minutes left to play.
Maynard wasn’t done there either. The summer signing from St Francis Rangers added the seventh in injury time, tapping in the highly impressive Jeremiah’s pass.
Tougher tests will await Hassocks no doubt but Jewell was nonetheless a happy man at the final whistle.
The Robins committee meanwhile will have been grateful for some very welcome prize money after failing to win a game in the FA Cup for the previous two seasons.
Their reward for victory will be a home tie with Combined Counties outfit Farnham Town in two weeks time.
Hassocks: Mike Abbott; Luke Akehurst, Ashley Marsh, Pete Lear, Richard Thompson; Anthony Hibbert, Kieran O’Callaghan, Phil Gault, Daley Clark, Sam Jeremiah; Neil Kane.
Subs: Lee Waterhouse (Hibbert 70), Chris Maynard (Gault 65), Dan Smith (Kane 60).
