One of the most entertaining games of the season kicked off October for Hassocks as they shared a crazy 10 goal Sussex Senior Cup thriller with Arundel at Mill Road.
The Mullets led four times over the course of 120 ridiculous minutes but still found themselves losing 6-4 after extra time. Every time the hosts scored, Hassocks would reply almost instantly to eventually book their spot in the second round of the competition.
Eli Amoo put Arundel 1-0 ahead with 16 minutes played. Jack Troak equalised on 19. Jack Collins made it 2-1 to Arundel on 31. Joe Bull levelled things up on 36. Gwill Flint-Roberts put the hosts 3-2 ahead on 42. And still Hassocks found time to equalise before half time through James Littlejohn.
Remarkably, there were no goals in the second half. The scoring recommenced in extra time, Callum Chalmers making it 4-3 to Arundel in the 100th minute before Hassocks settled the tie with three goals in the final 10 through Ben Bacon, Dan Stokes and a second for Troak.
Unfortunately for the Robins, there wasn’t much to cheer for the rest of the month. They conceded four goals in each of their next three fixtures but without hitting six at the other end, they all ended in defeat.
Langney Wanderers provided the opposition in two of those games, played on consecutive Saturdays in the middle of the month. The first came in the Premier Division four days after that goal fest at Arundel and resulted in a 4-0 defeat at Priory Lane.
An own goal gave Langney a 1-0 lead at the break with second half goals following from Gary Ingram, Dan Blackmore and Shaun Lee.
A week later and the sides met again at the Beacon, this time in the second round of the Peter Bentley League Cup. Hassocks fared a little better by managing to score twice, but it was Wanderers who progressed with a 4-2 win.
Joe Summerbell and Ali Mekawir scored either side of a Jamie Hillwood strike which gave Langney a 2-1 lead entering the final 10 minutes. When Bacon equalised with just six minutes remaining, Hassocks thought they had done enough to take the tie to extra time but late goals from Dan Blackmore and Max Hollobone finished the Robins’ interest in the competition.
October ended with a meeting with another of the league’s Eastbourne teams as Hassocks made the journey to the Oval to face Eastbourne United. The Robins had won on their previous six visits to United but that remarkable record came to an end with a 4-1 defeat.
United failed to register a single shot on goal in the opening 30 minutes, Hassocks showing the sort of fighting spirit that Mark Dalgleish had hoped that his side’s training sessions with with Brighton & Hove Amateur Boxing Club would instill.
Three goals in four minutes certainly wasn’t in the script but that is what happened as United effectively sewed up the three points in the space of 240 seconds just before half time.
Kane Penn notched the first two on 36 and 38 and Nathan Crabb’s 40th minute strike meant it was game over. Littlejohn hit a consolation goal on the hour mark before Sam Crabb rounded off the scoring with United’s fourth, although there was more than a hint of offside about it.
The Under 23s inconsistent form continued in October. They shocked Isthmian League opponents Three Bridges to progress in the Sussex Under 23 Cup but lost all three of the month’s West Division fixtures.
Worthing United triumphed 2-0 at the Beacon to pick up their first points of the season. A week after that disappointing defeat and Hassocks claimed the scalp of Bridges via penalties at Jubilee Field.
Under 18s striker Alfie Loversidge marked his full debut for the Under 23s with a brace and George Galbraith-Gibbons was also on target as the sides finished tied at 3-3 after 120 minutes.
All 10 outfield players were required to kick for both teams in the subsequent shoot out with Hassocks eventually triumphing 8-7 to set up a second round clash with Horsham YMCA.
YM also provided the opposition in Hassocks’ final game of October. The reigning champions won 2-1 at the Beacon with George Galbraith-Gibbons on target for Hassocks.
A week earlier, the Robins had been beaten 4-2 against a strong Lancing line up featuring a number of senior players. Alex Fair was chief among them, the striker helping himself to a hat-trick having scored both goals in the Lancers’ 2-1 win at the Beacon at first team level back in August.
George Mitchell-Phillips was the other Lancing player to score before he was sent off. 16-year-old Luke Marshall saw red for Hassocks, who had Louis Pople and Thomas Jupp on target in an eventful evening at Culver Road.
The Under 18s enjoyed an extraordinary October in which they scored 25 times in just three games. There was an 8-1 Dennis Probee Sussex Youth Cup win over Lewes Juniors featuring a hat-trick for Lewis Beebee, braces from Freddie Gamblin and Harrison Lees and a Finlay McDermott goal.
Beebee helped himself to five in the following Sunday’s 13-0 league victory against Southwick, the Young Robins’ biggest for 12 years. Lees hit a treble of his own, Gamblin grabbed another two and Charlie Jones, Loversidge and Marshall were also on target.
There were far fewer goals in October’s final fixture but nobody was complaining as Hassocks delivered their most impressive result of the season to hammer Under 18 Central Division champions Haywards Heath Town 4-1.
Lees added another two, taking his monthly haul to 10 with Beebee and Yahya Azizi completing the scoring.
The Ladies suffered two defeats at the start of October, losing 1-0 away at Parkwood Rangers and then 2-0 at home to Newhaven.
Not many people gave Hassocks a prayer going to South East Counties Women’s League Premier Division leaders Lewes next, but they shocked the Rookery by storming into a 2-0 lead inside of 13 minutes.
Katherine Chappell and Kelly Rushworth scored for Hassocks. Megan Cranford pulled one back for Lewes in the 23rd minute. It looked like the Robins would hold onto a famous win right up until the seventh minute of time added on when Niamh Halloren snatched an equaliser with the last kick of the game.
There wasn’t quite as much drama in Hassocks’ final game of the month, a 3-3 draw against Eastbourne United. With no recognised goalkeeper available, Martin Lee had to call Emma Young out of retirement and she had a fine game between the posts although the headlines were written by Bethany Purse who notched her first two goals in Hassocks colours.
