LAING PASSES HIS HASSOCKS HISTORY AS HE AND HARDING CAUSE DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR SIDLEY
Hassocks were hardly firing on all cylinders following their midweek exertions against title favourites Eastbourne Town, but that did not matter as the Robins’ strike force put in double time see off Sidley United and secure a first three points of the season.
Pat Harding and James Laing helped themselves to braces in a 4-2 win and if this game will not live long in the memory for its quality, it will at least be remembered for Laing taking his Hassocks goal tally onto 100.
He now joins Robbie Kitchen in an exclusive club of two Robins who have scored a century of goals in senior football.
Whereas Laing’s double on Tuesday night to secure an excellent 2-2 draw against Town was made up of two goals of the highest quality, he had a helping hand from the Sidley defence as he joined Robbie Kitchen in the Robins century scoring club.
No striker complains at being gifted opportunities and Laing still had to make the most of them, something he did splendidly with the first which, although as a result of some pretty ropey defending, still required a fine finish.
Hassocks themselves were not immune to ropey defending with a mix up between Chris Hewitt and Joel Harding resulted in Sidley taking an early lead.
A bouncing ball over the top should either have been despatched upfield by skipper Hewitt or collected by Harding.
In the end, neither happened as Harding hesitated a couple of times, Hewitt decided to trust his goalkeeper to get there and Steve Morris took full advantage, nipping in to collect and round Harding with ease before rolling into an empty net.
Laing equalised four minutes later thanks to Sidley defenders Ben White and Lee Wood getting in a right state as they went for the same ball.
In the confusion, Laing was able to easily outbattle both before producing a clinical strike past Blues goalkeeper Rob Wiley.
This early pattern of neither defence looking particularly secure continued throughout the first half and Sidley missed two good chances when Richard Harrison and then Morris were left free in the box.
Those spurned opportunities were punished when Hassocks scored twice in the space of a minute. On 32, Hewitt’s fierce free kick struck the wall and looped up in the air and when Mickey Turner challenged Wiley, the ball dropped at the feet of Pat Harding who gleefully fired home.
Wiley received lengthy treatment after that before carrying on. It became instantly clear he was struggling however, a good ball from Andy Fisk releasing Harding whose strike had too much power for Wiley to keep out as Hassocks went ahead.
Sidley replaced their number one with experienced substitute goalkeeper/physio Andy Lusted, although there was a further delay as it took Lusted a good five minutes to ready himself for entering the action.
At half time, it felt like a convincing victory could be on the cards if Hassocks could rediscover the verve and energy they had shown when holding Eastbourne Town on Tuesday.
They never really managed that and so the second half meandered along, Sidley remaining in the contest without ever really threatening a comeback.
Turner had done some excellent work up and down the right but his crossing let him down. Even when he did finally manage to deliver one into the box, it looked routine for Lusted to gather until the replacement goalkeeper dropped it at the feet of Laing to hit the 100 landmark.
That should have been that but in keeping with a game of errors, Hassocks handed Sidley a second two minutes later. Harding asked too much of himself by trying to retrieve a bouncing ball a long way out and although both he and Nick Newman managed to block efforts in the ensuing chaos, Sidley sub Dave Wood found the back of the net at the third time of asking.
There was one exquisite piece of skill up the other end by the other Harding who brought down a free kick beautifully, only to place his effort straight at Lusted when a hat-trick was beckoning.
Dave John admitted afterwards that his side had not been at their best, but he knows in football it is sometimes to just dwell on the result rather than the performance.
Hassocks: Joel Harding; Mickey Turner, Nick Newman, Chris Hewitt, Ashley Low, Richard Thompson; Graham Beveridge, Ian Dawson, Andy Fisk; James Laing, Pat Harding.
Subs: Ashley Marsh (Dawson 71), Nathan Harvey (Fisk 81).
Starman: Tricky but it goes to Nick Newman for a steady performance at the back.
