Hassocks Under 23s will be looking to get their stuttering Southern Combination League West Division campaign back on track as they make the trip to Arundel this coming Thursday.
The Robins have lost their last three league games in a row to slump to seventh place in the table. Arundel meanwhile sit level on points with Dave John’s but one place below by virtue of being four goals worse off than Hassocks.
That makes this an important game for both sides at Mill Road. The Mullets are certainly in the better form, their two West Division victories having come in their past three matches.
The most recent of those was a 4-2 win at Oakwood on their last outing two weeks ago. A fortnight before that, they’d triumphed in a topsy-turvy game at home to Worthing United, eventually doing just about enough to secure a 5-4 success.
While Hassocks’ league showings may have been disappointing of late, their cup form has been impressive. The Robins eliminated Isthmian League side Three Bridges from the Sussex Under 23 Challenge Cup at Jubilee Field, a 3-3 draw in normal time being followed by an 8-7 win on penalties.
Hassocks will know that if they can bring that sort of performance into the bread and butter of West Division football, then hopefully they can start climbing the table soon.
Not that Arundel will prove to be easy opponents. Hassocks know that all too well after two bruising encounters last season which ultimately proved to be fatal to the Robins’ title hopes.
The sides didn’t meet until mid-April when second place Hassocks went to Mill Road knowing that victory would set up a winner-takes-it-all clash with leaders Horsham YMCA the following week.
But the championship race never quite made it that far. Instead, Arundel hammered the Robins 4-0 thanks to goals from Jack Kates, Patricio Gomes and Harry Russell.
A week later and Hassocks lost 2-1 against Gorings Mead and the title was all-but YM’s. That was followed by the return meeting between the Robins and Arundel, which ended 1-1 at the Beacon. James Littlejohn got the Hassocks goal that night.
John and his side will be hoping for a much better result than those two previous meetings. Should they manage to win, then it would be Hassocks’ first ever victory over the Mullets at Under 23 level.
Kick off is at 7.45pm at Mill Road.
