Following Tuesday night’s shock 3-1 victory away at Horley Town, Hassocks will be looking to avoid it being as a case of After the Lord Mayor’s Show when they travel to Lingfield for their third game in the Southern Combination League Premier Division Supplementary Cup.
The Robins sit top of Group B with four points from two games thanks to their midweek win at the New Defence and a 2-2 draw at Crawley Down Gatwick which kicked off the competition a week ago. Lingfield meanwhile have lost to Horley and drawn with Down in what is shaping up to be a tight group so far.
Please note that the game has been moved to a 12.30pm kick off so as not to clash with the funeral of his HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Under current government and FA guidance, supporters are still not allowed. We should however have updates for you from Godstone Road on our Twitter account.
Lingfield this season
The Lingers were enjoying a good season prior to curtailment as they continue to re-establish themselves in the top division following promotion in 2018. They sat ninth having won five, drawn five and lost two of their 12 matches, marking them out as a side who are tough to beat.
Hassocks in comparison tended to either win or lose before lockdown. The Robins were two points behind the Lingers in the Premier Division standings but had won six and lost seven. Last weekend’s draw against Crawley Down was Hassocks’ first of the season, so it is hard to know what to expect when the sides meet.
Hassocks’ record against Lingfield
There have been 26 previous meetings between Hassocks and Lingfield across six different competitions. Lingfield are one of the few clubs who the Robins have faced in all three divisions of the Southern Combination League and it is a fixture which Hassocks have enjoyed plenty of success in with 13 wins compared to the Lingers eight. Five of the matches have ended in stalemates.
When the Robins do beat Lingfield, they tend to do it in a big way. In Division Two, Hassocks plundered 18 goals in four games against the Lingers and they have scored 23 more than Lingfield have managed in the fixture.
Less positive reading is what has happened in recent encounters. Hassocks have won just one of the past five meetings between the sides, a 3-2 Premier Division success at the Beacon in the 2018-19 season. Lingfield completed a league double over the Robins in 2019-20.
Last time Hassocks played Lingfield
Lingfield were the final opponents Hassocks faced in that curtailed campaign last season on March 7th, just before lockdown was imposed and the league was subsequently declared null and void.
The game was moved from Godstone Road to Steyning Town’s Shooting Field and the Lingers were no doubt pleased with their decision to beat the weather and get it played on a 3G pitch as they ran out 3-2 winners.
Dan Turner had given Hassocks the lead with a header from a Lewis Westlake corner but they could not quite make it into half time ahead, Sammy Clemments beating 45-year-old stand-in goalkeeper Phil Wickwar with seconds left before the break.
Wickwar filling in for the absent Charlie Pugh meant that he set a new record as the oldest Hassocks player in senior football, surpassing Mickey Turner. It also gave Wickwar the distinction of having played for the Robins’ first team across four decades, spanning the 1990s through to the 2020s.
Two quick-fire goals in four minutes either side of the hour mark from Jamie Bakhit and Kerran Boylan put Lingfield firmly in control and although James Littlejohn hit a stunning volley from a full 30 yards to make it 3-2, the game was already in stoppage time and it proved too little, too late.
