Sweetman looks to tame the Bears in first game in charge
After the best part of eight months, Hassocks return to Southern Combination League Premier Division action as Broadbridge Heath visit the Beacon for the opening game of the 2021-22 season.
New head coach Brad Sweetman takes charge of the Robins for the first time after a pre-season friendly schedule disrupted by problems to their home pitch.
Hassocks only managed to get four friendlies played and three of those were against sides from the Isthmian League, losing 6-0 to Burgess Hill Town, Haywards Heath Town and Sutton Common Rovers.
The one match the Robins got in against opponents not from a higher division than themselves ended in a comfortable victory.
New signing George Mitchell-Phillips notched a hat-trick with fellow teenagers Jack Gardner and Lewis Beebee also on target as Oakwood were beaten 5-0 on Tuesday night.
Mitchell-Phillips is one of several players brought in by Hassocks over the summer, with Sweetman’s overriding priority being to find a way of replacing last season’s top scorer Charlie Pitcher who has departed for Crawley Down Gatwick.
Heath boss Chris Simmons is in exactly the same boat as his Hassocks counterpart. The Bears’ leading marksman from 2020-21 Lewis Croal has also moved to the Haven for the new campaign, giving Down an array of attacking riches for the season ahead.
Other than Croal, Simmons seems to have kept most of his squad together. Given that Heath completed a league double over Hassocks last season, they will no doubt arrive in Mid Sussex in confident mood.
Broadbridge Heath last season
Heath were one of the first sides in the Southern Combination League to be impacted by Covid-19 back in September 2020, having to forfeit an FA Cup tie with Haywards Heath Town and sit out matches for two weeks after a positive test among their squad.
That disruption resulted in a slow start to season. The Bears went winless in the first month of the 2020-21 campaign, scoring just twice and conceding 14 goals in their opening three matches.
In mid-October though, something clicked for Simmons and his players they racked up a series of impressive results to move away from the bottom three by the time the December lockdown arrived, including those aforementioned six points from Hassocks.
Hassocks v Broadbridge Heath head-to-head
Heath are one of the few teams who Hassocks have faced across all three divisions of the Southern Combination League over the past 35 years.
There is not much to separate the sides when it comes to the head-to-head with the Robins having won nine of the 25 meetings and Heath 11, leaving five draws.
Recent clashes with the Bears have not been too kind to Hassocks, however. The Robins have won just two of the previous 11 matches. Their most recent victory came in October 2017, a 3-2 success thanks to goals from James Westlake, Bradley Bant and Charlie Pitcher.
You have to go back to the 2015-16 season to find the other three points in that barren sequence. Bant was again on the scoresheet alongside Jonno Melia in a 2-0 win at Heath’s former home of the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre.
Last time Hassocks played Broadbridge Heath
In a nice piece of symmetry, Heath were actually the last club to visit the Beacon for a Premier Division fixture three weeks before Christmas 2020.
A fiery clash warmed up a freezing cold Tuesday evening in which more cards were flashed than the Royal Mail delivered over the seasonal period.
Andy Whittingham and the Bears’ Alfie Jones both saw red whilst Hassocks achieved the impressive feat of having all three substitutes booked in amongst a flurry of yellows for both sides.
The points were decided by Mark Zydonik’s first half goal, tapped into an unguarded net from a rebound after Charlie Pugh had done well to keep out Ollie Joels’ free header from a Jamie Robinson corner.
Admission prices and matchday information
Admission prices are £6 adults, £3 concessions with under 16s going free. The Clubhouse will be open for supporters with the Robins Bar selling a wide range of beers from local breweries and beyond and and the T Bar catering for hot food and drink. Contactless payments are available on the gate and in the Clubhouse.
Although all Covid-19 restrictions have now been lifted, track and trace barcodes will still be available for those who wish to use them.
Masks are no longer mandatory inside but please wear one if you prefer and all two metre signage remains as a guide for those who wish to continue practicing social distancing. Hand sanitiser will also be provided around the ground.
