Robins lose seven month unbeaten league record to battling Barrowmen
For a brief period on Monday morning, it looked like Hassocks Under 23s home game with Steyning Town was not going to go ahead.
The Barrowmen requested to move the fixture before it was eventually decided that it would be played. Come 10pm and Hassocks were probably wishing it had been changed.
A 1-0 defeat to opponents who started the evening seventh of 11 in the Southern Combination North Division table with only five wins to their name ended the Robins’ 11 game unbeaten league run stretching back over seven months to mid-September
Then news filtered through from the BodyMould Mattresses Stadium that league leaders Broadbridge Heath had lost their unbeaten record in a 4-2 defeat to Horsham YMCA.
On the one hand, Hassocks are just about still in the title race. The gap to the Bears remains five points. Heath have one game left to play, the Robins two.
But on the other hand, the Bears losing their local derby made Hassocks going down to the Barrowmen even worse.
Victory over Steyning could have seen Hassocks close to within two points of Heath, putting a little more pressure on ahead of the final fixtures in what has been an absorbing title race.
Instead, the Robins are now relying on Heath slipping up against Oakwood in their final game on Thursday night.
Hassocks meanwhile have to win away at Roffey on Thursday and Horley Town on Monday if they are to stand any chance of retaining their championship.
The Robins looked a little tired, perhaps as a result of their exertions a week ago in a frantic, end-to-end, top-of-the-table clash against Broadbridge Heath which ended 0-0 at the Beacon.
Steyning in contrast were well rested. They had not played a game for over a month, the 3G pitch at the Birchwood Ground ensuring no fixture backlog for the Barrowmen.
Hassocks might have been hoping that would leave the visitors looking rusty; no such luck, unfortunately.
The Robins kept changes from that draw with Broadbridge Heath to a minimum. Neither Bradley Tighe nor Alfie Loversidge were available ahead of the first team’s Premier Division playoff semi final at Eastbourne Town the following day.
Their places were taken by Jack Duckett and Billy Dove. Will Mizon meanwhile made his first start in goal since signing from Ringmer, replacing Jack Thomas.
The only goal of the game arrived on the half hour mark from Rai Dos Santos. Despite plenty of huffing and puffing, Hassocks were unable to find a way back into it as they failed to score in a North Division game for the second game in a row, having previously notched in every other outing.
Hassocks: Will Mizon, Ben Hicks, Billy Dove, Ed Tobias, Charlie Fogden, Jack Duckett, Noah McHale, Alex Wintle, Sam Fernley, Cavan Chedzey, Nathan Miles.
Subs: Julian Durand, George Gladding, Jack Smith, Evan China, Wes Tighe (used).
