Having seen their past three matches cancelled, Hassocks will be hoping to get back to action with the visit to the Beacon of Broadbridge Heath.
Broadbridge Heath moved into their new High Wood Hill home in the summer and although things are progressing nicely off the pitch, it hasn’t been quite as straightforward on it.
The feelgood factor around the move saw the Bears begin the season in flying fashion, with some pundits tipping them as dark horses for a tilt at the Premier Division title.
When the Robins paid their first ever visit to High Wood Hill back in September, Heath’s 2-1 victory lifted them into third place in the table.
Hassocks came up against a capable outfit that evening, the outstanding Jamie Taylor catching the eye in particular as the Bears’ second goal scorer following Max Howell’s opener.
Having finished in the highest-ever league position of sixth at the end of the 2018-19 season, the sky looked the limit.
Since then though Heath have suffered something of a slump and they arrive here today in 13th spot in the table and sadly having seen long-serving boss Steve Painter resign.
Painter had been at the helm for over a decade and oversaw Heath’s transformation from a side who only avoided relegation out of the Southern Combination League in 2010 to one challenging for a top five finish in the top flight.
He did a remarkable job and now it is up to interim manager Chris Simmons to try and continue that, once he’s steadied the ship.
Simmons has one win to his name in the dugout so far and it was a hugely significant one, a 2-0 victory over Saltdean United which maintained a four point gap between the Bears and the relegation-threatened Tigers.
Heath have a good recent record against the Robins which should give them confidence ahead of their brief stay in Mid Sussex.
They’re unbeaten in the previous four meetings between the sides, stretching back to October 2017 when Hassocks picked up a 3-2 success here at the Beacon.
The Bears’ recent successes have seem them pull level with the Robins in the overall head-to-head, both sides having won nine games apiece of the 23 meetings with five draws.
Those encounters have taken place across all three levels of the Southern Combination, making Heath one of the few clubs that Hassocks have faced in the Premier Division, Division One and Division Two.
Simmons could name one familiar face to take on the Robins today in the shape of former Hassocks Under 23s and Under 18s goalkeeper Conor Evento.
Although Evento never made a senior appearance for the Robins, he did make the first team bench on a couple of occasions during the 2015-16 campaign.
Kick off at the Beacon is at 3pm and entrance is priced at £6 adults, £3 concessions and Under 16s go free. The T Bar will be serving hot food and drink throughout the afternoon and the Robins Bar will be open for all your beer needs.
Our 36 page award winning matchday programme is available for just £1 and we’ve also got a raffle with money-can’t-buy prizes.
For any news of a postponement, then please keep an eye on both our Twitter and Facebook feeds where we will aim to keep you updated.
