BENJAMIN BUTTON BENSON AT THE DOUBLE AS ROBINS GIVE SELSEY THE BLUES
It was a rare Wednesday night outing for Hassocks Under 23s and if their experience against Selsey at the Beacon was anything to go by, they might be keen to repeat the experience going forward.
This 3-2 win was the Robins’ first at home since March. It probably should have been more comfortable too as Hassocks had been 3-0 ahead at the hour mark, only to see the Blues stage a late fightback which led to an unnecessary nervy finish.
Selsey arrived in Mid Sussex having lost three games out of three. They haven’t been helped by a tough fixture list which featured games against two of the early pacesetters in leaders Pagham and newcomers Oakwood, both of whom have 100% records.
Hassocks were also acutely aware of the threat their visitors would pose after last season’s clash at the Bunn Leisure Stadium in October. That was where Selsey inflicted a first defeat of the campaign on the Robins, winning 1-0 and deservedly so.
Dave John made four changes from the side that had gone down to a 2-1 defeat against reigning champions Horsham YMCA a week ago.
One of last year’s stalwarts Ben Jonas was back for his first start of the campaign in place of Nick Pitcher. Thomas Jupp replaced Harvey Ransome, Joe Russell returned for Jack Gardner and Joe Bull was rested after starting for the first team in their 3-0 Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup defeat to Pagham 24 hours previously.
Bull’s place was taken by Louis Pople for what was his first competitive appearance in Hassocks colours since the 2012-13 campaign.
Pople has since played for Ringmer and taken some time out from the game. The Robins will be hoping that a run of matches for Pople in the Under 23s can help him build up match fitness, especially given the lack of available forwards currently at the Beacon with Phil Johnson sidelined with a broken leg and Jack Rowe-Hurst’s departure to Seaford Town as he continues his quest to play for every club on the Southern Combination League circuit.
Pople partnered another striker to have recently returned to the Robins in Liam Benson, the duo forming a Benjamin Button strike force being two of the permitted players over the age of 23.
Benson was on the score sheet twice, notching Hassocks’ second and third goals in the space of five second half minutes. That made it three in two Under 23 games so far for him and it should have put the Robins on easy street.
Dan Turner had given them a half time lead with his first of the season midway through the first half. But Selsey set up a tense finale as Toby Evans and then Sam Conolly made it 3-2 with 15 minutes remaining.
Hassocks managed to see that out despite losing Turner, who went off injured with a nasty arm injury which required a sling.
That couldn’t have come at a worse time for the defender, given that he’s just broken into the senior squad and was voted man-of-the-match in the previous evening’s defeat to Pagham.
Both John and Mark Dalgleish will be without his services for a number of weeks now as Hassocks’ injury problems show no sign of abating; the only negative on an evening in which the Robins showed a welcome return to form.
Hassocks: Reece Wickwar, Solly Ross, Thomas Jupp, Daniel Turner, Ben O’Leary, Joe Russell, Ben Jonas, Kieran Dimelow, George Galbraith-Gibbons, Louis Pople, Liam Benson.
Subs: Matt Denyer, Tristan Hayes, Harvey Ransome, Joe Bull (used).
