Last gasp Horley leveller denies Hassocks three points off leaders
Nothing could separate Hassocks and Southern Combination Under 23 North Division leaders Horley Town as they played out a 1-1 draw.
But a young Robins side could consider themselves very unlucky not to have taken all three points at the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground.
Just two minutes plus injury time stood between Hassocks and victory when Clarets substitute Leo Clarke scored with a pretty outrageous toe punt finish to level the tie.
The Robins once again named a line up heavily reliant on players from their Under 18s side. And it was one of that number who gave Hassocks the lead with a goal on his debut just before half time.
Sam Fernley pushed forward from right back and cut a pass back inside to Wilf Jenkins. The midfielder hit a left footed curler which struck the back of a Horley defender for a deflected loop into the far corner.
With that, Jenkins joined Under 18s teammates Evan China, Ben Foster and Will Hartley in marking their Under 23s debuts by scoring.
Goals aside, this was an entertaining evening featuring two sides who both wanted to get the ball down and play on a slick surface.
Oscar Kemp fashioned the first opening through a brilliant, mazy run starting 40 yards out. From there, Kemp went past three Clarets players, got to the by-line and shot from a tight angle. The Horley goalkeeper saved with his legs.
Dangerous visiting striker Tommy McKenna fired wide as Fraser Trigwell did just enough to put him off in Horley’s opening attack.
The game ebbed and flowed from there. Oliver Goswamy fired too high at one end and Ben Hicks did just enough to deflect a Clarets shot over the bar at the other.
Trigwell was quick out of his box to turn defence into attack, leading to Kemp forcing the Horley goalkeeper into a flying two handed save.
Goswamy managed to keep the ball in play and it was from this recycling of possession that Fernley teed up Jenkins to open the scoring.
Hassocks introduced Jack Troak at half time as the first team winger comes back from his sixth injury of the season – impressive given it isn’t even November yet.
Troak thought he had doubled the advantage not long after coming, only to see his close range header kept out by an unbelievable save.
The Horley goalkeeper then blocked a Kian Nandhra volley from a Troak cross whilst Jack Duckett grazed the top of the bar with a bending free kick from 25 yards.
After all that, the equaliser came as a sucker punch. Patient build up play from Horley eventually gave Clarke a sight of goal.
His improvised toe punt gave Trigwell no chance as it flew into the top corner to ensure the spoils were shared.
Hassocks: Fraser Trigwell, Sam Fernley, Leo Charman, Sam Quickfall, Ben Hicks, Noah McHale, George Gladding, Wilf Jenkins, Oscar Kemp, Oliver Goswamy, Kian Nandhra.
Subs: Jack Troak, Jack Duckett, Jack Smith, Liam Deere, Oliver Parker-Williams.
