SIMPSON ON SONG BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH FOR ROBINS IN NARROW NEWHAVEN LOSS
Jack Simpson was the best player on the pitch at wet and windy Fort Road but despite the efforts of the Hassocks goalkeeper, the Robins were still unable to get their first ever win at Newhaven.
An enthralling August Bank Holiday Monday clash finished 3-2 to the Dockers, who on this early season evidence could have enough firepower to make an impression on the Sussex County League title race.
Against a lesser keeper than Simpson, Newhaven could have racked up eight or nine. Hassocks though were kept in the game by their number one, even though they arrived on the banks of the River Ouse with a significant absentee list.
Admittedly, it was not quite as long as the nine first choice players the Robins had to do without when losing 3-0 at Newhaven back in April.
But one could not help but wonder how different the outcome might have been had Hassocks been able to call upon Phil Gault, Nathan Cooper, Kieran O’Callaghan and the suspended Ashley Marsh.
Dave John handed rare opportunities to Luke Pawson at left back and the mercurial Stuart Brown on the left of midfield whilst last season’s top scorer for the title winning Under 18s Jake Booth came in for his second senior start.
Booth partnered Phil Johnson in attack with John so short of midfield options as to deploy Nathan Miles in a deeper role alongside Anthony Hibbert.
Newhaven made a fast start and took the lead inside of 10 minutes. A clever stepover from James Rhodes flummoxed both Ian Simpson and Nick Pitcher, allowing Scott Marshall to convert a low cross.
A minute later and Lee Robinson hit the side netting from a tight angle. Simpson then denied Ebou Jallow twice in quick succession. The first save from a one-on-one was impressive enough; the second beggared belief.
With Simpson at his near post, Robinson drilled a hard cross to the back post where Jallow was waiting to apply the finish for what looked a certain second for Newhaven.
Simpson though plunged low to his left, diving the width of his goal and somehow keeping Jallow’s effort out. It was an astonishing piece of goalkeeping.
Spurred on by that moment, Hassocks soon had an equaliser. The Robins were utilising Johnson’s pace on the break to good effect with Newhaven resorting to ever cruder means to halt the speedster.
One such instance saw Hassocks awarded a free kick 25 yards out in prime Anthony Hibbert territory. Hibbert made no mistake with the opportunity, bending a lovely effort around the wall and into the top corner beyond the outstretched hand of Jake Buss.
A frantic finish to the first half followed. Simpson denied Robinson in a one-on-one situation from a lightning quick Dockers counter after the Robins made a mess of a throw in a promising position deep in opposition territory.
There were around five minutes until the break when Hassocks took the lead. Newhaven failed to clear a corner and Booth was on hand to produce a crisp volley from six yards out to get his first team account up and running.
Jallow hit the post from a well-worked short corner routine in the final play of the half and you could tell as the teams made their way off for the interval that the Dockers wee not expecting to be behind.
As a result, they came flying out the traps at the start of the second half. Simpson was called into action within four minutes of the restart, pushing a Robinson snapshot from the edge of the box over the bar.
The equaliser arrived just after that and there was nothing Simpson could do, Craig Bunch getting in behind and finishing clinically from close range.
John replaced Brown with debutant George Rudwick, a summer signing who helped South Coast City to win the Brighton League Division One title last season.
Rudwick displayed some nice touches as Hassocks managed to relief some of the pressure they were under, although they still needed a combination of luck and Simpson to keep them in it.
A dangerous Dockers free kick flashed across goal with no home player able to apply the vital touch. Simpson then spectacularly flew through the air at full stretch to finger tip a Conor Sidwell piledriver from 20 yards around the post.
Newhaven found what proved to be the winner with 15 minutes left, Sidwell converting a scrappy goal from a corner.
Pawson was injured during the build up and John took the opportunity to replace his left back with a striker, throwing on his nephew Ryan John.
One of Hassocks’ two chances to grab a point in the final 10 fell to young John, whose effort needed a smart save from Buss to keep it out.
That came just three minutes after Buss had turned a Dan Jacques header from a Hibbert free kick onto the bar in a save equal in brilliance to Simpson’s interventions.
Hassocks: Jack Simpson; Ellis Common, Nick Pitcher, Ian Simpson, Luke Pawson; Dan Jacques, Nathan Miles, Anthony Hibbert, Stuart Brown; Jake Booth, Phil Johnson.
Subs: George Rudwick (Brown 55), Ryan John (Pawson 75), Jamie Hillwood, Alex Gathern, Reece Wickwar (unused).
Starman: Jack Simpson kept Hassocks in the game with a number of outrageous saves.
