PLUCKY ROBINS OUT OF LUCK IN CLOSE FOUGHT DEFEAT TO IN-FORM DOCKERS
Sussex County League Division One’s form team Newhaven were made to work mighty hard for their eighth win in a row as they just about escaped the Beacon with a 3-2 win over plucky Hassocks.
The Robins pushed their in-form visitors all the way and it was hard to argue with the assertion of joint-boss Phil Wickwar afterwards that Hassocks were worthy of a point.
Lady luck though favoured Newhaven, as she so often does when a side are on such a roll. The Dockers got the rub of the green in two game-changing moments, firstly when doubling their advantage through a fortuitous own goal off Bradley Tighe.
Phil Johnson then saw what could have been a second half equaliser chalked out for the tightest of offside margins; the sort of 50-50 call that on another day goes the other way.
The game was only 10 minutes old when Ryan Walton gave Newhaven the lead from the penalty spot.
Ashley Marsh hauled down dangerous Dockers striker Lee Robinson in the box, giving referee Jamie Gilham a straightforward decision. Walton did the rest by beating George Willett from 12 yards.
A quarter of an hour later and an optimistic distance effort from Craig Bunch was heading well off target until it hit the helpless Tighe, changed direction and crept inside the post.
There was nothing the teenage Hassocks right back could do about it. To compound matters further, his father Jason is part of the Newhaven management team.
It must have made for an interesting atmosphere around the breakfast or dinner table the following day in the Tighe household.
Being two down inside 25 minutes against quality opposition would have paved the way for Hassocks to concede a plethora earlier in the season.
But Mark Dalgleish and Wickwar have introduced more steel and resolve since taking over two months ago.
Within 60 seconds of the own goal, the Robins pulled one back. Pleasingly, Tighe was heavily involved as his free kick whipped in from the right found the towering head of the returning Kieran O’Callaghan.
Nick Pitcher reacted quickest to tap the knock down past Dockers number one Jake Buss from close range.
Seven minutes later and O’Callaghan marked his first appearance for three months with the equaliser. Again it came from a set piece. Tom Davess swung off a left footed corner and O’Callaghan rose highest to beat Buss with a powerful header.
For someone who has not played a minute of competitive football since mid-November, O’Callaghan was outstanding in midfield.
The Robins’ aim of finishing outside the bottom three would appear much more achievable if he were available for more than just the odd passing visit to Hassocks.
2-2 at half time is not what many in the biggest Beacon crowd of the season would have been predicted before kick off.
And the entertainment continued after the interval. Only five minutes had elapsed when Newhaven scored what proved to be the winning goal.
Walton collected a knockdown from Jayson Sowter before hitting an effort which Willett maybe should have done better to keep out.
Johnson gave the Newhaven defence a testing workout on his 100th Hassocks appearance. He deserved a goal to follow up his weekend hat-trick at Selsey, only to be denied by that linesman’s flag.
Whilst the Robins could grumble about the decision, they could have little complaints when Mr Gilham showed a straight red to Pitcher late on following a UFC-style smash on Connor Sidwell after the Dockers full back cleared his lines.
Going down to 10 ended any Hassocks hopes of another comeback, although it did at least get the creative juices going of one spectator who caught the incident on camera from the stand as they quickly added WWE commentary to the foul – with the clip doing the rounds in the Clubhouse afterwards.
The wonders of modern technology.
Hassocks: George Willett; Bradley Tighe, Ashley Marsh, Rowan Wallis, Dan Jacques; Ryan Collins, Kieran O’Callaghan, Nick Pitcher, Tom Barnes, Tom Davess; Phil Johnson.
Subs: Nathan Miles, Dan Stokes (used); Ellis Common, Mark Price, Reece Wickwar (unused).
Starman: Kieran O’Callaghan helped Hassocks in the midfield battle, scored one and was involved in the other goal.
