Hassocks head to Loxwood for their first away game of the Southern Combination season
The first away game of the 2023-24 Southern Combination League Premier Division season sends Hassocks north to face a new-look Loxwood side at the Nest.
It has been a busy summer for the Magpies. They appointed Former Kingstonian and Corinthian Casuals coach Peter Barkley as manager and he has embarked on a rebuild of the playing squad with numerous new faces coming in.
Barkley said upon his appointment that the aim for Loxwood this season is to be competitive in the top half of the table.
The visit of Hassocks will provide the Nest faithful their first opportunity to watch Barkley’s Magpies in a home league fixture and see the progress being made towards that target.
Loxwood last season
Having finished in the bottom two in 2021-22 and been spared relegation into Division One only due to ground grading, the Magpies avoided any drama in 2022-23 thanks to a strong finish to the campaign.
They ended up 12 points clear of the drop zone in 15th spot, providing a decent platform upon which Barkley will now be aiming to build.
Coming into the current season and the changes made make Loxwood something of an unknown quantity.
The Magpies were given a very tough opening game of the campaign, facing a trip to Peacehaven & Telscombe.
An ill-tempered affair finished 2-0 to the Tye. Both sides had a man sent off in addition to four Peacehaven players being booked and three from Loxwood.
Loxwood v Hassocks head-to-head
The sides first clashed in the 2014-15 season after Loxwood secured promotion to the Premier Division for the first time.
Since then, there have been 16 meetings, all of which have come in the bread and butter of league football.
Hassocks have won four, drawn four and lost eight. After a relatively sluggish start in terms of entertainment, the fixture has now provided 27 goals in the past seven matches.
Two of those four successes for the Robins came last season, Hassocks winning 2-0 at both the Nest and the Beacon.
Last time Hassocks played Loxwood
Hassocks recorded consecutive clean sheet number four in what would prove to be a club-record sequence of five shutouts when the Magpies visited Mid Sussex in March.
At the other end, goals from Alex Bygraves and Phil Johnson in eight minutes either side of the hour mark secured a 2-0 victory.
How to get to the Nest
Follow the A272 to and through Billingshurst, crossing the roundabout with the A29 before joining the B2133 shortly after.
Pass through Newpound and Roundstreet Common, approaching a fork in the road with Skiff Lane. Plaistow Road is just on the left after that with the ground on your left a very short distance down it.
