Just over three months after they last met on the opening day of the season, Broadbridge Heath and Hassocks will face off in the return match this Saturday at Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre.
The spoils were shared on that scorching August afternoon at the Beacon. Liam Benson marked his second debut for the Robins after returning to the club from Lancing with a goal from the penalty spot midway through the second half which was cancelled by Devon Fender’s equaliser 12 minutes from time.
That represented the fifth draw in 21 previous meetings between the two. Hassocks lead the way in the head-to-head with nine victories to Heath’s six although interestingly, only three of those Robins wins have come in the Southern Combination League Premier Division and two of them were at the Leisure Centre.
It’s been a relatively happy hunting ground for Hassocks down the years, meaning that the Robins will probably be one of the few sides to be sad to see the back of it.
This should be the last meeting between the two at the stadium, with Heath’s new purpose-built home at High Wood Sports Ground nearing completion. The latest update from the Bears came a month ago and revealed that the perimeter path, the foundations for the stands and the floodlight bases were all in place with the lights installed within the next week or two.
Heath will be moving to their new ground on a high. Steve Painter’s side have enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign and currently sit ninth in the table with five wins, four draws and five losses to their name. With eighth place being their highest ever finishing position, they could easily eclipse it this year.
The Bears could have a couple of familiar names in their side to take on Hassocks. Charlie Pitcher recently moved to Heath from Lancing, whom he joined at the start of the season from Littlehampton Town.
Pitcher had two spells with Hassocks, one last season prior to his move to the Marigolds and one towards the end of the 2016-17 season after signing from Loxwood. He racked up 22 appearances in that time, scoring three goals.
Heath can also count the experienced Glen Woodburn among their number. He was one of the many players who followed John Suter to the Beacon from Horsham YMCA in the summer of 2008, playing seven times for the Robins.
Kick off at the Leisure Centre is at 3pm.
