Everybody knows the fact – Hassocks have never reached a senior cup final, let alone lifted a trophy in their 114 year history.
The Sussex RUR Charity Cup is the one that has provided the Robins with the best opportunity to do so – not that that is saying much admittedly – with the club having reached the semi-finals of the competition on three occasions.
The most recent of those visits to the last four was probably the most disappointing when in 2011-12, Hassocks were beaten 3-1 by lowly Selsey at Culver Road.
A 5-2 victory in the league at the High Street Ground had been recorded a month previously and the Robins went into the tie the favourites despite being without the talismanic Phil Gault.
But there could be little complaint about the score on the day as Mickey Jewell’s side simply didn’t turn up and the chance of a first ever cup final went begging.
It had been a straight forward cup run up until that point with victories against Mile Oak, East Grinstead Town and Southwick paving the way to heartache in the last four.
If that illustrated just what a favourable draw can do for a cup run, then Hassocks’ previous semi-final defeat before that was an indication of how it can work the other way, when we met all-conquering Burgess Hill Town in the 1999-00 season.
Mile Oak, Arundel and Lancing had all been vanquished on route to the meeting with the Robins arch rivals of the time and although formbooks and class can go out the window when it comes to a local derby, Hassocks proved to be no match for the Hillians who ran out 4-1 winners.
The third semi of this competition the Robins have made came six seasons before that defeat at the hands of Hill in 1993-94 and it was the closest Hassocks have ever come to clearing the hurdle into actually making a final as they went down only in extra time 2-0 to Pagham.
That wasn’t an easy run to reach the last four either with victories over Wick, Southwick, Lancing and Whitehawk all being gained along the way.
In the mid 00’s, Hassocks were remarkably consistent in bowing out of the competition at the quarter final stage with four last eight exits in a row – 2005-06 to Shoreham, 2006-07 to Whitehawk, 2007-08 to Rye United and 2008-09 to Three Bridges.
There have been five other quarter final exits, to Burgess Hill Town the year before that semi heartache, to Selsey in 1994-95, Pagham in 1992-93 and Southwick in 1981-82 – the first season we entered the competition.
Crawley Down Gatwick were responsible for the most recent last eight elimination when they won 3-0 at the Haven in 2016-17 on route to defeat in the final against Newhaven.
Round three only came into existence for the 2000-01 competition when the preliminary round was removed, and it has been the Robins exiting point on three occasions, most recently in 2013-14 in a 3-2 defeat away at Horsham YMCA.
Hassocks crashed out at the stage in back-to-back campaigns in 2000-01 and 2001-02 to Selsey and Southwick respectively.
And as for the aforementioned preliminary round? Hassocks only ever had one dalliance with it in the 1993-94 season, a 3-2 win over Wick.
As for the second round, that was the stage of the competition that the Robins exited at last season, blowing a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 in extra time at AFC Uckfield Town.
Hassocks also exited the competition at that stage in both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons via heavy home defeats, 5-1 against Eastbourne Town and 5-0 against Littlehampton Town respectively. The less said about those, the better.
Given the Robins well documented ability to make hard work and more often than not lose to teams from a lower division, Hassocks have been knocked out of the RUR Cup a surprisingly low number of times by sides from lower down the pyramid.
The most recent of those did come in the second round, a penalty shootout defeat to Division One outfit Little Common in 2012-13 after an astonishing 5-5 draw.
Round two also accounted for Hassocks’ exits in 2010-11 to Sidley United and 2009-10 to Selsey. Selsey again eliminated the Robins at that stage in 2004-05 which followed hot on the heels of second round defeats to Pagham the previous year and Burgess Hill Town before that.
Other exits came against Shoreham in 1997-98, Midhurst & Easebourne in 1995-96 which represented another rare shock, Sidley in 1986-87 and Whitehawk in 1982-83.
Hassocks have been on a remarkable run of receiving byes in the competition to the point where they didn’t actually compete in the first round for 17 years between beating Worthing United 6-3 in the 2016-17 season and defeating Mile Oak in the 1999-00 season.
The Robins have only bowed out of the competition three times at the first round stage – to Langney Sports in 1996-97, Ringmer in 1984-85 and Peacehaven & Telscombe in 1983-84.
That exit to the Tye remains one of only two games in the competition that Hassocks have been involved in that required a replay, a 1-1 draw at Adastra Park being followed by a 1-0 defeat away from home.
The other came two seasons previously when another 1-1 draw at Adastra necessitated a second game, this time Hassocks triumphing 5-3 in a thriller away at Hastings Town.
Five games have gone to extra time and Hassocks have won three of them, the only blemishes being that semi-final defeat to Pagham and last year’s exit to AFC Uckfield Town.
The extra time wins have seen the Robins defeat Ringmer 4-3 in 1982-83, Worthing United 4-2 in 1995-96 and Ringmer again in 2005-06, that time 2-1.
Aside from the Little Common penalty defeat, Hassocks have only had one other shoot out in the competition which was in 2007-08 when Arundel were beaten 4-1 from 12 yards after a 2-2 draw in normal time.
Hassocks’ biggest victory in the competition also represents one of their biggest ever victories in senior football, a 9-0 hammering dished out to the now defunct Shinewater Association in 2000-01 while the Robins heaviest defeat is that 5-0 loss to Littlehampton Town from 2014.
