The games don’t get any easier for Hassocks. Hot on the heels of Tuesday night’s 4-0 home defeat to AFC Uckfield Town comes the visit of perennial title challengers Newhaven to the Beacon.
It’s been a strange season so far for the Dockers. They’ve only lost three times in the Premier Division and yet they currently sit in 12th place in the table.
Those defeats have come against Crawley Down Gatwick, Horsham YMCA and AFC Uckfield Town, but it’s the number of draws that Newhaven have served up that have proven to be more damaging to their hopes of challenging Eastbourne Town, Lancing and Peacehaven & Telscombe at the top.
Five times in 13 league games the Dockers have shared the spoils with their opponents. If they could turn those stalemates into victories, then they’d be right on the tails of Eastbourne Town, a position that is familiar to those with Newhaven given that they’ve been in championship challengers for the past few campaigns.
Their mixed bag of a season isn’t just restricted to the league either; their form in knockout competitions has been puzzling to outsiders too.
Newhaven are still in the FA Vase and will travel to Glebe in the third round next week having picked up a hugely impressive 6-1 win away at Kennington.
But on the flip side, they suffered a shock exit from the Sussex Prinicpal RUR Charity Cup at the hands of lowly Pagham, a competition that they won in both the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns.
The Dockers will no doubt arrive at the Beacon in expectant mood given that it is a venue at which they’ve enjoyed plenty of success over the course of the 16-game history of the fixture.
Hassocks have only ever managed four victories over Newhaven, marking them out as one of the opponents who the Robins seem to struggle against.
One of those did come last time these two sides met however and it was arguably Hassocks’ best result of the previous season as they won 1-0 at the Trafalgar Ground.
A tough looking assignment was made even harder when Phil Johnson limped off early. George Brown then saw red for two silly bookings, leaving the Robins to battle against Newhaven with 10 men.
But a superb rearguard performance, three crucial saves from Josh Green and Spencer Slaughter’s header right on the stroke of half time proved to be enough to deliver a first ever three points at Fort Road on a memorable afternoon.
Hassocks managed to keep Newhaven’s considerable firepower quiet that day, which they haven’t managed many times in the past.
Lee Robinson needs no introduction to Hassocks supporters. The Premier Division’s most dangerous marksman has been a frequent scorer against the Robins down the years and he has nine goals in 10 games to his name so far.
Andy Cook and Sean Breech can also call upon Ebou Jallow who leads the Dockers’ scoring charts with 11 while Jack the considerable talents of Jack Langford have also been recently acquired from local rivals Saltdean United.
That’s some front line and one Hassocks will have to find a way to nullify again if they’re to have any hope of picking up a third league win of the season.
Kick off at the Beacon is at 3pm and entrance is priced at £6 adults, £3 concessions and Under 16s go free. The Robins Bar will be open and selling alcohol and the T Bar will be offering hot food and drink throughout the afternoon.
