ROBINS COME FROM BEHIND TO GET SEASON UP AND RUNNING
Hassocks Under 18s are up and running. Last season’s Southern Combination League Central Division runners up got their first three points of 2019-20 on the board with a battling win over Shoreham.
Autumn may officially be only a week or so away, but this was a gloriously sunny summer’s day at the Beacon. And while the Robins’ performance may have been more workmanlike than glorious, this was a good 2-1 win against the division’s newcomers.
The last time that Hassocks faced the Musselmen at Under 18 level had been in the 2015-16 season. Shoreham finished that campaign second to Roffey on goal difference while Hassocks were well down the table in seventh place after a disjointed season.
The Robins haven’t finished outside of the top two since then, winning an unprecedented treble in 2017-18 in-between second placed finishes in 2016-17 and last time out.
Repeating those heroics looks a tough ask this year in what looks to be a very strong division, particularly with the challenge provided by Hassocks’ Mid Sussex rivals.
Last season’s runaway champions Haywards Heath Town will be looking to defend their title, Burgess Hill Town have entered a side into the division for the first time since 2016 and St Francis Rangers have begun the campaign in impressive form with three wins from three.
It was Rangers who Hassocks kicked their season off against a week previously, going down to a 3-1 defeat away at Colwell Road.
Shoreham had enjoyed an even more chastening morning at the hands of Haywards Heath as they were hammed 9-1 at home as the Blues sent out serious notice that they aren’t going to give up their title without a fight.
Despite that loss to Rangers, Hassocks’ performance had been a decent one and as a result, Brad Sweetman named an unchanged line up – something of a rarity in Under 18s football these days.
Despite the consistency in team selection, it was Shoreham who took an early lead when Alessio Saleh scored after just 11 minutes.
Hassocks remained calm and kept playing their football though. They were rewarded for that on the half hour mark when Alfie Loversidge levelled things up with his first goal of the campaign.
Loversidge has already made his debut for Dave John’s Under 23 side this season and this goal underlined his growing potential.
The winner came from an equally promising forward. Harrison Lees marked his debut the previous week with the consolation against Rangers and this time, his 70th minute strike proved to be enough to deliver victory.
Sweetman gave one player a debut from the bench late on with Archie Tunnell coming on for his first appearance in Hassocks colours.
Hassocks: Toby Fisher, Lewis Beebee, Oliver Charlesworth, Luke Marshall, Charlie Jones, Alex Crawford, Jack Gardner, Harrison Lees, Alfie Loversidge, Finlay McDermott, Yahya Azizi.
Subs: Freddie Gamblin, Archie Tunnell, Guy Underwood (used).
