SUPER ROBINS COMPLETE DOUBLE OVER LEAGUE LEADING LIONS
Pagham will be glad to see the back of Hassocks for this season. Just two league defeats suffered so far by Carl Stabler’s Lions and both have been at the hands of the Robins.
Considering Pagham’s other 16 Division One matches have yielded 15 wins and a draw, it is some going on the part of Hassocks to have taken six points off the long-term County League leaders.
Mickey Jewell even cracked a smile in the Clubhouse afterwards. His side have now won nine and drawn two of their last 11 matches, building real momentum.
And that momentum carried the Robins into a 2-0 lead inside the opening quarter of an hour. Just three minutes had elapsed when Phil Johnson did well to keep an astute Kieran O’Callaghan pass in play.
When Johnson pulled the ball back, Phil Gault was on had to thump it first time into the roof of the net.
The second Hassocks goal came when Jamie Weston crossed and Gault got up to win a header. No Pagham defender could clear so James Westlake took full advantage, producing an excellent finish against young goalkeeper James Binfield which went in via the far post.
Having a player of Weston’s quality able to seamlessly take over from the suspended Anthony Hibbert is a sign of the squad depth Jewell currently enjoys.
Despite falling behind and being in what is an unusual situation for them, the Lions did not panic. They kept playing their football and it meant the handy lead Hassocks had never felt safe.
Pagham halved the deficit on 38 minutes. Ross Woolf caused the initial problems. Ashley Marsh headed clear under pressure although only as far as Neil Murfin on the edge of the box. Murfin shot and a big deflection off a red shirt left Jack Simpson helpless.
Simpson was involved in the key moment of the game on the stroke of half time. Murfin put Phil Turner through and it looked a stonewall penalty when Simpson wiped out the Lions player.
Two of the few people inside the Beacon who disagreed were referee Mark Parsons and his young assistant closest to the action.
Pagham were understandably incensed. Hassocks though could point to this being an example of how bad decisions in football even themselves out, having been denied clear penalties in their previous two matches.
There was still time for Simpson to save a James Temple header before the teams went into half time, so finely poised that only the bravest man would dare predict the outcome.
The second 45 minutes proved equally close and entertaining. The introduction on the hour mark of Scott Murfin – so often a thorn in the side of Hassocks over the years on – served to crank up the tension even more.
But it was a Robins substitution which proved key as Sam Jeremiah scored the third goal which sealed Pagham’s fate with 10 minutes remaining. Westlake delivered an in-swinging corner and Jeremiah leapt well to head in from virtually on the line.
It was Jeremiah’s first goal since suffering a serious knee injury away at Ringmer last October which has kept him out for 12 months, giving double the reason for the wild celebrations which followed.
Ben Palmer produced two magnificent pieces of defending to deny Pagham what would have been an equaliser just before Jeremiah struck.
A wonderful headed clearance from Scott Murfin’s cross was bettered by a perfectly timed tackle when Danny Stevens was all set to pull the trigger.
Pagham seemed to accept their fate after the third Hassocks goal with the relentless pace of the game easing off and allowing supporters to finally catch a breath.
It was a wonderful spectacle overall and a splendid advert for the County League. The only disappointment for Jewell and his players being they have no midweek game to cash in on a real purple patch which has made that seven game winless run at the start of the season a distant memory.
Hassocks: Jack Simpson; Ben Palmer, Ashley Marsh, Stuart Faith, Chris Maynard; James Westlake, Kieran O’Callaghan, Jamie Weston, Phil Johnson; Nathan Miles, Phil Gault.
Subs: Sam Jeremiah (Weston 66), Rob South (Palmer 83), Lee Waterhouse (Miles 85).
Starman: The injured Spencer Slaughter was keen to cast his vote for Ben Palmer and he had plenty of justification, but the nod just goes to Ashley Marsh.
