Entertainment keeps coming as Young Robins squeeze past Varndeanians
If you want to see goals at the moment, then Hassocks Under 18s are the team to watch. Following last week’s 10 goal thriller against Burgess Hill Town, the Robins and AFC Varndeanians shared five at Withdean Stadium.
Whereas Hassocks had to settle for a point last time out against their local rivals, this time all three came back from the short trip over Clayton Hill thanks to a 3-2 victory.
Success maintained the Robins’ place at the top of the early Southern Combination Under 18 Central Division league table as life continues to be good under the new management team of Neil Parker and Glenn Geard.
The Robins made three changes from the side held at home by Hill the previous Sunday. Max Beston came in for his Hassocks debut and Daniel Llwellyn and Joe Woodhouse were both promoted from the bench.
Dropping out were Jake Palmer, Archie Hill and Abir Chowdhury, who had netted his first goal for the Robins against the Hillians.
The Robins also gave a debut to Joe Holland from the bench, one of two substitutes used alongside the returning Robert Newman by Parker and Geard.
Although Varndeanians came into the game having lost all four of their league games so far this season, Hassocks knew that this would not be an easy assignment.
The Central Division looks as competitive a league as it has been in many years. Normally, a couple of teams maintain 100 percent records after the opening month but that is not the case this year, every club having dropped points already.
Only Hassocks and Montpelier Villa remain unbeaten. The Robins have been made to work hard to maintain that record so far and their clash with Varndeanians was no different.
Three players who have enjoyed fine individual starts to the season were in the goals as Archie Russell, Sam Geard and Beau Howard notched for Hassocks.
Geard and Russell have already experienced first team football for Hassocks in 2021-22 with Russell also establishing himself as a regular in the Under 23s who, like the Under 18s, remain unbeaten after a fine set of August and September results. For Varndeanians, Toby Samrah and substitute Kiran Mahapatra scored the consolations.
Hassocks face St Francis Rangers next in their third Mid Sussex Derby of the season although one of those will not be repeated, Haywards Heath Town having withdrawn from the Central Division after a winless start.
That will then be followed by a tough examination in the Dennis Probee Sussex Under 18 Challenge Cup, where the Robins have been handed a trip to Conference South outfit Eastbourne Borough on Sunday 10th October.
Hassocks: Max Beston, Jack Morris, Harry Bundy, Jamie Douglass, Daniel Llwellyn, Joe Woodhouse, Sam Geard, Beau Howard, Alfie Beck, Oliver Parker-Williams, Archie Russell.
Subs: Joe Holland, Rob Newman (used).
