NEW YEAR STARTS WITH A BANG AS HASSOCKS TAME THE LIONS
New year, new Hassocks. That will be the hope around the Beacon anyway as the Robins kicked off 2020 with a 2-0 home victory over fellow strugglers Pagham.
Goals in either half from Liam Benson and the outstanding Harvey Blake delivered three much-needed points which lifted Hassocks above their opponents in the Premier Division table. Now, just goal difference is keeping the Robins in the relegation zone.
The relentless rain that rounded of 2019 meant that both sides came into the game having not kicked a ball in anger for three weeks – and that certainly showed in a slow start with neither goalkeeper having a serious save to make in the opening 20 minutes.
Pagham looked the likeliest to make something happen in that time. The Lions sent over a couple of decent set piece deliveries but Conor Geoghegan and then Jimmy Wild were unable to punish some slack Hassocks marking as they put free headers wide and over.
It was with the game’s first real effort on target that Benson opened the scoring midway through the first half, a goal which was wonderfully created by Jack Troak.
Troak has found himself being asked to do a job at left back in recent weeks due to the absence of Andy Whittingham, but thanks to the freedom that Mark Dalgleish offers his full backs, that hasn’t blunted any of Troak’s attacking efficiency.
That was in evidence as Troak found himself pushing down the left wing to collect a James Littlejohn switch, from where he delivered a flighted cross into the box.
Pagham goalkeeper Tom Crook looked favourite to get to it, but he missed his punch under pressure from Phil Johnson which left Benson with the simple task of finishing into an empty goal.
Pagham nearly had an instant response, Wild finding himself in one-on-one but his effort cannoned off Charlie Pugh’s near post.
Suddenly, we had a game on our hands. Johnson went close when he beat Crook to the ball but his stabbed effort trickled just wide following a pass over the top from Kit Tregear, the former Burgess Hill Town midfielder who was making his first appearance for the Robins.
Tregear nearly had a debut goal on the stroke of half time. Dan Stokes played in Littlejohn ,who delivered a cross which Tregear looked set to meet on the volley without breaking stride.
Just before Tregear could pull the trigger, Pagham defender Tom Lyne appeared from nowhere to nick the ball away with one of the best timed sliding tackles you’ll see.
Moments before that, Pagham had come close to equalising with a flurry of corners including one which Blake had to hack off the line.
Blake proved his worth up the other end six minutes after the restart. Again, it was the full backs’ freedom that led to the goal, Blake collecting possession on the right and driving into the Pagham half.
The visiting defence backed off and backed off, allowing Blake to seize the opportunity as he picked his spot and curled one into the top corner from a full 30 yards leaving Crook grasping at thin air and Blake to celebrate a Goal of the Season contender.
Hassocks were perhaps lucky to escape conceding a penalty just past the hour mark when Wild went down under an accidental trip in the box.
Instead, they had to settle for a corner after Tom Carroll seized on the loose ball and forced Harry Mills into a superb last ditch tackle.
From the resulting delivery, Hassocks again weren’t convincing defensively which led to Carroll having the opportunity to strike one from the edge of the box. Pugh did well to tip it over on the stretch.
There was more desperate defending six minutes later as Hassocks’ attempts to play out from the back went awry, only a fine flying block from Blake preventing the Lions pulling one back.
The Robins were looking tired now and so Dalgleish turned to his bench, throwing on Under 23 midfielder Sam Cash for his debut in place of the tireless Alex Spinks.
Cash had an instant impact, getting involved in a spot of handbags within 60 seconds of his arrival with Pagham substitute Cian Tilley, who was sent off as a result for raising his hands.
That moment of madness from Tilley proved costly for the visitors. Suddenly, the momentum that the Lions looked to be finishing with was gone, leaving Hassocks to end the tie the stronger.
They had three chances to add a killer third in the final 10 minutes. Johnson swivelled in the box before laying back to Stokes who dragged wide.
Crook then pulled off two fine saves, somehow turning Littlejohn’s header over the bar from point blank range and denying Stokes with his feet after good play from Will Broomfield.
Hassocks: Charlie Pugh; Harvey Blake, Harry Mills, Arni Kublickas, Jack Troak; Kit Tregear, Dan Stokes; James Littlejohn, Alex Spinks, Liam Benson; Phil Johnson.
Subs: Sam Cash (Spinks), Will Broomfield (Johnson), Harvey Enticknap, Luke Marshall, Thomas Jupp (unused).
