Robins and Hillians do battle to raise money for St Peter & St James Hospice
Seven months after the Beacon last played host to supporters, Hassocks are opening the turnstiles again with Burgess Hill Town the visitors for the Ann John Trophy.
The annual charity game will be raising money for St Peter & St James Hospice. Kick off is at 7:30pm and entrance is by pay-what-you-can-afford donation with everything taken on the day going to the Hospice.
Ann John Trophy clashes between the Robins and Hill are usually packed with entertainment. There has never been less than three goals in the seven previous matches. The Hillians have racked up three wins, Hassocks one with the Trophy being shared on three occasions following draws.
The sides could not be separated in the first encounter, held during pre-season prior to the 2014-15 campaign. Goals from Phil Johnson and a Dan Jacques screamer (yes, really) saw it end 2-2.
It was the same scoreline in 2015-16 when Hill took the lead twice thanks to Pat Harding and then Lee Harding, only for Jake Booth and Jamie Hillwood to level things up each time.
2016-17 saw Hassocks win the Trophy outright for the only time to date. Hillwood was again on target along with Liam Benson and Craig Knowles as the Robins beat a young Hillians side.
The 2017-18 clash ended in a 3-3 draw which was arguably the best match for the neutral so far. Hassocks had sauntered into a 3-0 lead inside of an hour through Michael Death and a James Westlake brace. Hill rallied though and a stunning comeback was completed when former Hassocks favourite Sam Fisk grabbed a later equaliser.
For the past three seasons, the Hillians have had a monopoly on the trophy. They won 4-0 in 2018-19 thanks to a brace from Aaron Smith-Joseph, a Kieron Pamment penalty and a Billy Barker tap in.
In 2019-20, the visitors edged a 3-2 thriller. Twice the Robins led, first through Johnson and then Will Broomfield. Warren Mfula and Tom Cadman levelled things up both times and it looked like the Trophy would be shared again until Mfula notched his second of the evening with just two minutes remaining.
The 2020-21 match had to be held in December due to Covid-19 restrictions meaning fans could not attend grassroots football throughout the summer. Despite the cold and the Clubhouse being closed, a record-breaking £1500 was raised for St Peter & St James.
That was the good news. The bad news was that Hassocks were easily swept aside, losing 8-1 to a strong Hillians outfit for whom Harding, Smith-Joseph, Connor Tighe (2), Samson Doherty, Nathan Cooper, Max Miller and Tom Chalaye scored. Jack Troak got the Hassocks consolation.
Both the Robins Bar and the T Bar will be open serving alcohol and hot food and drinks on this occasion. Supporters are asked to wear a mask when inside the Clubhouse and to adhere to the usual social distancing guidelines.
