Hassocks play their first home game in a month after two postponements
The Beacon hosts its first senior game in a month following two postponements with improving Alfold the visitors.
Hassocks saw their matches with Peacehaven & Telscombe and Horsham YMCA both lost to freezing temperatures in January, meaning the last time they had a home fixture was the 3-0 win over AFC Uckfield Town on the first weekend of the year.
Away matches have not fared much better, with just one beating the weahter. That saw the Robins go down 2-1 at high-flying Broadbridge Heath last week, giving a spirited performance at the Countryside Stadium which James Westlake felt worthy of a point.
The visit of Alfold kicks off an incredibly busy February in which Hassocks will play eight times in four weeks.
Such a frantic period is likely to have a huge bearing on how high up the Southern Combination League Premier Division table the Robins can finish in Westlake’s first season at the helm, and so Hassocks will be hoping to kick it off with three points.
And whilst the current standings might suggest that should be the case with Alfold sitting second bottom of the table, their improvement since a November managerial change means the Robins can expect a tough examination on their homecoming.
Alfold this season
Alfold have spent virtually the entire season in the bottom two but the shrewd appointment of Dorking Wanderers director of football Jordan Clark as their new boss has led to an upturn in form which has given them real hope of escaping the relegation places.
Clark has been instrumental in the remarkable rise of Wanderers into the National League, working full time at Meadowbank with a range of responsibilities including overseeing their academy and managing the B Team in Division One of the Southern Combination League.
He wasted no time in making his mark at Fold, bringing in several new faces to mix with the impressive young players already at the Elliott Scott Group Stadium in the Under 18s and Under 23s.
Hassocks are only too aware of the talent Alfold possess; the Robins Under 23s have swapped leadership of the North Division frequently with Fold throughout the season so far whilst last year, they eliminated Hassocks from the Under 23 League Cup at the semi final stage on their way to winning the competition.
10 of Alfold’s 14 points have been collected since Clark’s arrival, including wins over Saltdean United, AFC Uckfield Town and a 7-3 victory against bottom club Roffey last weekend, who themselves have been improving massively since just before Christmas.
The success took them to within three points of Saltdean in a relegation battle which is now shaping up to be almost as tight as the title race at the top of the table
Hassocks v Alfold head-to-head
This is a fixture that the Gods used to hate given the frequency with which it was postponed in Alfold’s first two seasons in the Premier Division.
The clash in Surrey was lost four times in 2019-20 due to weather with Fold’s trip to the Beacon undergoing the same fate once, before both matches were cancelled due to lockdown.
Since then, four matches have been played over the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. Hassocks have won the past three with Alfold triumphing 3-1 at the Elliott Scott Group Stadium on the opening day of the season in 2020-21.
Last time Hassocks played Alfold
A relatively straightforward 3-0 win away from home for the Robins on a balmy August night. Leon Turner scored his first Hassocks goal with only five minutes on the clock and Liam Benson made it 2-0 before the break.
Mark Zydonik rounded things off with an 84th minute header coming shortly after he had returned from a 10 minute spell in the sin bin.
The last meeting at the Beacon was much more dramatic. Phil Gault won it 2-1 for Hassocks with a 94th minute penalty which had to be retaken after his original effort was saved by Andrew Osei, only for an eagle-eyed assistant referee to have spotted that Osei had moved forward off his line.
Matchday information
Kick off is at 2:00pm and admission is £7 adults, £3 concessions and free for under 16s. Both card and cash payments are accepted on the turnstiles.
The T Bar will be open serving hot food and drink and the Robins Bar has a wide selection of craft beer from local breweries, along with other alcohol.
Dogs are welcome and a printed 48 page matchday programme will be on sale for £1.
