After picking up back-to-back Southern Combination League Premier Division wins for the first time this season, Hassocks switch their attention to the Sussex Senior Cup on Tuesday night with a first round trip to Midhurst & Easebourne, kick off at 7:30pm the Rotherfield.
The Stags are long serving members of Division One and a team who are looking to make an impression at the right end of the table. They were in sixth spot in 2019-20 when the season was declared null and void, 11 points off promotion but with three games in hand.
Manager Andy ‘Lemmy’ Ewen has kept most of that squad together for 2020-21 and given Hassocks’ historically bad record when it comes to facing lower division opponents in knockout competitions, Midhurst will no doubt be eyeing an upset ahead of the Robins making the long trip west on Tuesday night.
Midhurst & Easebourne this season
Midhurst have continued where they left off so far in 2020-21, enjoying a solid start to their Division One campaign in which they have won three, drawn one and lost three of their games so far.
Two of those defeats came against promotion favourites Littlehampton Town & Mile Oak while their third loss was at the weekend against Worthing United. The Stags’ most impressive win was their 2-0 success away at a strong Seaford Town side.
They have also beaten Roffey and Oakwood and held Arundel to a 1-1 draw. Hassocks defeated the Mullets 6-4 in a crazy 120 minutes at Mill Road in the first round of the competition last season.
Hassocks’ record against Midhurst & Easebourne
Meetings between Hassocks and Midhurst have been few and far between through the years. There have been seven previous games, five of which Hassocks have won and two of which Midhurst have been triumphant in. A couple of those have been big scoring victories for Hassocks too, with a 6-0 win at the Beacon and a 6-1 win at Rotherfield.
In terms of the Sussex Senior Cup, the sides have faced each other twice before. The first came in the second round of the 1986-87 competition when the Stags ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. The second occasion was a much more pleasant experience for Hassocks who won 3-1 at the Rotherfield in September 2015.
All the goals arrived in the second half as Josh Hawkes, Spencer Slaughter and Jonno Melia were on target with the Midhurst consolation being mired in controversy. There had been a very clear foul on goalkeeper George Willett in the build up and yet George Morris’ scrambled effort was still allowed to stand, much to the anger of the away dugout and the laughter of the hosts’ bench.
Last time Hassocks and Midhurst & Easebourne met
The sides last faced off when paired together in the third round of the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup back in the 2016-17 season. It was one of the first matches to ever take place under the newly installed floodlights at the Rotherfield.
Extra time was needed to separate the sides on that occasion after the 90 minutes finished with the score 0-0 after a dour spectacle. Thankfully, things sparked into life in the additional 30. Substitute Liam Benson opened the scoring for Hassocks in the 95th minute with Phil Gault adding a second five minutes later.
Ben Kamplen pulled one back for Midhurst a couple of minutes after the interval to leave a nervy finish but much to the travelling contingent’s relief, the Robins were able to hold on which avoided the drama of penalties and an even later arrival back in Mid Sussex.
Hassocks went onto be eliminated away at Crawley Down Gatwick in the quarter finals, the Anvils denying what would have been just a third appearance in the last four of the competition for the Robins. Down went all the way to the final that year where they ended up losing to Newhaven.
How to get to the Rotherfield
A surprisingly straightforward if very long journey awaits any Hassocks fans making the trip. Take the A272 through Cowfold, through Billingshurst and through Petworth until you reach Easebourne.
There will be a sharp left turn next to the Cowdray Park Polo Club, after which you take the second right onto Egmont Road. Turn left at the end onto Dodsley Lane and then an immediate right into Dodsley Grove and the ground is just on your right.
