Hassocks head to high flying Broadbridge Heath
It is starting to feel like a lifetime since Hassocks last kicked a ball in anger with their most recent competitive game having been completed three weeks ago.
A waterlogged pitch at Eastbourne Town followed by two frozen surfaces ahead of matches with Peacehaven & Telscombe and Horsham YMCA at the Beacon mean that it was January 7th since the Robins last played when winning 3-0 at AFC Uckfield Town.
Hassocks could not have asked for much of a tougher task for their return to action. James Westlake takes his side to the Countryside Stadium to face a Broadbridge Heath out fit who have spent almost the entire season in the top three.
The Bears have only dropped to fourth in recent weeks on account of the fact that they have not played since Boxing Day, suffering an even longer run of postponements than the Robins.
Both sides will no doubt be eager to make a flying start and that could well lead to plenty of entertainment, although the game will have to go a long way to match the enthralling contest played out at the Beacon in September.
Broadbridge Heath this season
These are heady times for Heath. Their move to the Countryside Stadium in 2019 coincided with their highest ever Premier Division finish of sixth, since when there has been no looking back.
The Bears now have one of the biggest average crowds in the league and are eyeing up a top two place and the prospect of promotion to the Isthmian League.
Their three defeats in 2022-23 is the lowest in the division and although they sit fourth at the moment, they have five games in hand on both Newhaven and Steyning Town and two on Crawley Down Gatwick.
Win those and Heath will be right in the thick of what is proving to be one of the tightest title races we have seen for years.
Hassocks v Broadbridge Heath head-to-head
Broadbridge Heath are one of the few teams who Hassocks have faced across all three divisions of the Southern Combination League over the past 40 years.
It is the Bears who lead the head-to-head having won 12 of the previous 26 meetings compared to Hassocks’ nine, leaving seven draws.
Heath’s dominance comes largely from recent clashes, with Hassocks having only two victories from the previous 12 matches.
A Robins win in this latest clash would be their first since Broadbridge Heath moved to the Countryside Stadium.
The closest Hassocks have come to returning with anything was last season’s 0-0 draw, when 47-year-old physio Phil Wickwar rolled back the years to 1992 by keeping a clean sheet after replacing the injured Alex Harris for the final 30 minutes.
Last time Hassocks played Broadbridge Heath
It was one of the best games the Beacon has hosted for many years when Hassocks played Heath earlier in the campaign, twists and turns making for a 90 minutes you could not afford to take your eyes off.
Lewis Croal put Heath ahead on 10 minutes. Liam Benson equalised on 17. Jack Troak gave Hassocks the lead on 33 and then missed a penalty on the hour mark which could have made it 3-1.
A 71st minute goal from Tyler Symonds followed by Croal’s second of the evening put the Bears 3-2 ahead with eight minutes remaining, only for Benson to strike again 60 seconds later to complete a remarkable 3-3 draw.
How to get to the Countryside Stadium
Take the A272 to the A24 and head towards Horsham. Leave the A24 at the junction with the A264 before taking the first right onto Old Wickhurst Lane.
Take the next right onto Cook Way and the ground is on the fourth right after that. Vehicles should park in the free car parks outside the pavilion or outside the bowls club. Tesco may charge for vehicles parked for longer than three hours in their car park.
Admission prices are £7 adults, £4 concessions and £2 for under 18s.
