First game in over 14 weeks ends in five star performance from Hassocks
A miracle to end all miracles – for only the second time this season, Hassocks Veterans took to the field for a competitive game.
And it proved to be a worthwhile experience with the Robins getting their first victory of the campaign under their belts, beating Jarvis Brook 5-2.
You have to go all the way back to October 5th to find the last time Hassocks kicked a ball in anger. AFC Varndeanians visited the Beacon and despite goals from Pat Harding and Paul Armstrong, the Robins found themselves on the end of a 3-2 defeat.
A hat-trick from Joe Keehan did for Hassocks; hardly a surprise given he once cost Rushden & Diamonds a rumoured £18,000 < insert joke about Steve Spies here >.
Since that evening, the Robins have seen every Mid Sussex League Veterans Division One game postponed because of weather.
The one weekend when they could have beaten mother nature and somebody decided it would be a good idea to arrange a Sussex Veterans Challenge Cup game for 4pm in Seaford on the same day England were playing Senegal in the second round of the World Cup at 7pm.
Who could have predicted that Hassocks would not be able to raise a side in such circumstances, withdrawing from the competition as a result?
Jarvis Brook had been put in a similar position, conceding their own County Cup tie to Mile Oak as players surprisingly wanted to watch the Three Lions in action.
Brook had at least managed to complete two league games. A win over Rotherfield in their first match of the season was followed by a 5-2 defeat against Varndeanians.
Just the one goal from Keehan on that occasion, who once cost Rushden & Diamonds a rumoured £18,000 < insert another joke about Steve Spies here >.
Hassocks made five changes from the side who had lost to Varndeanians the best part of 14 weeks earlier. As a result of only scoring once for the Veterans last time out, Pat Harding was dropped to the first team for the weekend.
Anthony Hibbert is in winter hibernation and Elliott Butler was ruled out with a tight hamstring. Butler attempted to loosen the problem the following day by going on a 5km run which ended with him locked out the house for four hours as he had no house keys with him. Should have just played football…
Other absentees were Mark Darbyshire and Rob Sayers. Coming into the XI were in no particular order Dave Juniper, Jonathan Bundy, Brendan Leahy, Nick Newman and Gavin Humphrey.
Bundy and Juniper both marked their first starts of the season with goals. Armstrong made it two from two with Adam Waller and Craig Beckwith opening his Hassocks account to round off the scoring. Goals in either half from Daniel Berwick and Simon Munday provided the Brook consolations.
Hassocks have a lot less of a wait than 14 weeks for their next match. The Robins are scheduled to go to Rotherfield on Sunday 22nd January.
Hassocks: Steve Curtis, Adam Waller, Craig Beckwith, Steve Spies, Nick Newman, Brendan Leahy, Paul Armstrong, Gavin Humphrey, Simon Shivnarain, Jonathan Bundy, Dave Juniper.
Subs: Richard Thomas, Sam Cooper (used).
