Hassocks Football Club Official Brochure

HASSOCKS FOOTBALL CLUB

OFFICIAL BROCHURE www.hassocksfc.net | 1

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Welcome History Ladies Season Review JUNIORS SPONSORSHIP opportunities HOW TO FIND & CONTACT US

6. History

05 06 10 13 47 49 50

10. Ladies

Match images taken by Chris Neal.

CONTENTS

Hassocks Football Club & Ludis would like to thank all of the businesses that appear in this publication for their support and wish them continued commercial success. The content of this brochure is believed to be correct at the time of printing but we cannot endorse individual statements and readers should not rely solely upon the continued accuracy of any individual claims contained herein without consultation with the service provider. Designed and Printed by Ludis 2021. For more information please visit www.ludisgroup.co.uk.

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WELCOME Welcome to the 2022 Hassocks FC annual, your one stop place for all things Hassocks FC. Inside you’ll hear all about how The Robins got on in the truncated 2020-2021 season with our extensive season review, alongside features on the Ladies Team and the junior section of the club.

We also have details on how you can support the Robins with a number

of sponsorship and advertising opportunities, and the all-important contact information for senior members of the club.

We would like to thank Ludis Publications of their assistance in getting the annual produced, and to the companies who have taken out some advertising in this publication.

Lastly, we look forward to welcoming you to The Beacon on a matchday soon, where a warm welcome, hot food and drink and a large selection of craft beer awaits!

Up The Robins! www.hassocksfc.net | 5

Hassocks Football Club was founded in 1902 and spent the first 80 years of its existence competing in the Mid Sussex Football League and Brighton and Hove and District Football League, playing at Adastra Park in the middle of the village.

The Robins first piece of silverware came when lifting the Mid Sussex League’s prestigious Mowatt Cup in 1928 and they added the showpiece trophy of the Montgomery Cup in 1960.

The club really began to get noticed with the move into the Brighton and Hove League in the mid 1960s, winning

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promotion from Division Three to Division One in back-to-back seasons in 1965 and 1966 and then eventually lifting the league championship in 1972 after finishing runners up the previous year.

“ The Robins first piece of silverware came when lifting the Mowatt Cup in 1928” The Sussex Intermediate Cup was added in 1975 to complete a golden era for

Hassocks and ambitions of senior football were finally realised in 1981-82 when the club became members of Division Two of the Sussex County Football League.

They finished that first season in 12th place and consolidated that hard earned senior status with a succession of top half placings in the division until a change in ground grading rules saw them demoted into Division Three and a return to intermediate football.

1991 saw huge changes, with Jim Goodrum taking over as chairman,

Dave John arriving as general manager from Haywards Heath Town and a new coaching team of Nick Greenwood and Peter Liddell taking over first team affairs with a mass influx of players.

Results were immediate as Greenwood and Liddell led Hassocks to the Division Three title by 10 points in 1991-92 but more importantly the progress on the pitch was matched off it with the club finally leaving Adastra Park to move into its own purpose-built ground, The Beacon.

“Greenwood and Liddell led Hassocks to the Division Three title by 10 points in 1991-92” The improved facilities at the venue that members worked so hard to secure meant promotion and a return to senior football and just three years later the runners up spot in Division Two was secured.

first time, quality floodlights had to be provided and they came through fundraising and a generous donation from Chelsea vice-chairman Matthew Harding who lived locally and whose sons Pat and Joel would all go onto represent the club.

To take their place in Division One of the Sussex County League for the

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THE HASSOCKS Traditional Pub

Welcome to The Hassocks A unique establishment conveniently situated right next to Hassocks Station on the main London to Brighton line which itself is the gateway to the South Downs National Park.

The Hassocks was originally a Victorian Coaching Inn as the station at Hassocks was the terminus on the London Line before Clayton Tunnel was constructed under the South Downs to provide the link to Brighton.

The Hassocks Community Cycle Hire is situated on the premises for those energetic enough to explore the National Park.

The Hassocks considers itself a true family/dog friendly community pub providing a variety of services to it’s clientele.

Food and Drink.

We cater for all tastes. Lunches served Daily with special rates for pensioners.

Traditional Basket meals served lunchtime and evenings. Local Sussex Real ales Harvey’s, Bedlam and Dark Star.

Regular Live music and DJ sessions are held throughout the year in the bar whilst the monthly Jazz, Comedy nights, Big Band and Salsa Party evenings in the Function Room are particularly popular. Free Wifi.

We have a large self-contained function room available for weddings, parties & conferences.

An extensive outdoor seating area with especially constructed children’s play area in the beer garden.

We can cater for up to 3 football team coaches for fans that want a few drinks before watching Brighton & Hove Albion play.

Authorisation is needed so please contact us in advance if you would like to come.

Car parking available on site.

thehassocks

The Hassocks Hotel, Station Approach East, Hassocks, West Sussex, BN6 8HN 01273 842113 info@thehassocks.co.uk thehassocks.co.uk

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HISTORY The floodlights were officially opened when a Chelsea XI featuring Graham Rix and Liam Brady made the journey to the Beacon. One season later they made their debut in the FA Vase and then a year on made their FA Cup debut with a remarkable run to the third qualifying round coming in 2001-2002 which was finally ended by Lewes, enroute to meeting Stoke City in the first-round proper.

2002 saw Hassocks mark their centenary by facing an ex-Arsenal and celebrity XI while Steve Coppell took charge of Brighton and Hove Albion for the first time when the Seagulls visited the Beacon to open the new Maurice Boxall Stand, funded in part by the previous season’s FA Cup run.

CONTINUED

In 2007, the ground was improved further with the opening of one of the finest clubhouses in the County League after a long fundraising and building process.

The Robins enjoyed their most successful season on record in 2011-12 when manager Mickey Jewell led his side

helm followed by Mark Dalgleish and Phil Wickwar who guided the side to solid if not spectacular lower mid table finishes in recent years, with Mark then taking sole charge from 2018-19.

Following the curtailed 2019-2020 it was felt a change in management was

“In 2007, the ground was improved further with the opening of one of the finest clubhouses in the County League ” to a fourth-place finish in Division One as well as the semi-finals of the RUR Cup. Jewell stepped down at the end of the 2013-14 season, when club legend John returned for a brief third spell at the

required, which has seen Dave John taking back over as overall manager.

He has a number of coaches and explayers assisting him, as the club look to encourage the progression of some exciting young talent.

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Ladies Formed back in 1999, Hassocks Ladies Football Club are a friendly and welcoming Sussex based side near Brighton providing women’s football for many years. We are a successful FA charter standard club and are part of the Hassocks FC family. Home games are played at the impressive Beacon ground which, with its fantastic facilities, is arguably one of the best playing surfaces around. The team currently plays in the Division 1 South section of the London and South East Regional Women’s Football league, which in the football

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season “In the 2018/19 unbeaten were s k Hassoc and won in the league st Counties the South Ea League” est W 1 ision Div

pyramid, is just three levels below the Premier League entry point. Past achievements include: South East Counties Women’s Football League Premier Division Champions and League Cup Winners in 2012/13, winners of the Chairman’s Cup in both 2009/10 and 2010/11, 2017/18 League Cup winners.

In the 2018/19 season Hassocks were unbeaten in the league and won the

South East Counties Division 1 West League. They also won the Sussex FA Challenge Trophy and made it to the Semi Finals of the League Cup. The 2019/20 season saw Hassocks Ladies FC return to the South East Counties Premier league. This league season was declared void due to Covid-19.

In the 2020/21 season Hassocks Ladies FC played in the newly formed London & South East Regional Women’s Division 1 South League. Sadly, this season was also declared null and void due to Covid-19.

Hassocks Ladies are looking for sponsorship for the forthcoming 2021/22 season, so if you are a local business who would be interested in sponsoring the team and the advertising opportunities available please do get in touch.

We are always looking for experienced players, so if you are interested please do contact us via our website (www.hassocksladiesfc.co.uk) for further details and information.

www.hassocksfc.net | 11

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Season Review

Robins 2020-21 Season Review: September

After lockdown had ended the 2019-20 campaign in March, competitive football resumed in September with the start of the 2020-21 season. The first part of our Hassocks Season Review covers an action-packed month in which 16 matches were fitted in across the first Team, under 23s, under 18s and the ladies.

September 1st 2020. 179 days had passed since Hassocks last kicked a ball in a competitive game of football and much had changed, both in the wider world and at the Beacon in that time as the Robins prepared to open their 2020-21 campaign with a trip to Balham in the FA Cup.

The Hassocks side who took to the field at Mayfield Stadium were almost unrecognisable from the one which had lost 3-2 against Lingfield in the final match before the 2019-20 campaign was curtailed six months earlier. There were just four survivors from that defeat

show were all new signings following a busy summer for Dave John, back in the dugout for a fourth spell as Robins boss. John had replaced Mark Dalgleish and was joined in a new-look managerial team by Brad Sweetman and Mark Enticknap.

“September 1st 2020. 179 days had passed since Hassocks last kicked a ball in a competitive game of football and much had changed” on the 3G of the Shooting Field back on March 7th in Hassock’s starting XI: Dan Turner, James Littlejohn, Harvey Enticknap and Jack Troak.

Andy Whittingham returned after longterm injury but the other six players on

Of the recruits on show against Balham, the majority were actually old faces returning to the Beacon, most notably record scorer Phil Gault after a spell in the Mid Sussex League and Bradley Bant, appointed club captain after making the move from Peacehaven & Telscombe.

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Season Review Striker Charlie Pitcher and George Brown were also back with the side rounded off by two debutants; goalkeeper Dave Carruthers who made his name at Loxwood and former Newhaven right back Louis Pittock.

That set the tone for a ridiculously entertaining encounter. Ashley Snadden equalised for Balham midway through the first half before Troak ensured Hassocks went into the break ahead, making it 2-1 two minutes before the interval.

Carruthers meanwhile made himself an instant hero to the Robins faithful, pulling off a brilliant stop with his legs from Balham’s second penalty – a save which resulted in an injury which would plague him up until Christmas – to send Hassocks through to the Preliminary Round.

Nobody quite knew what to expect from such a new-look side. Hassocks fans who had braved the Tuesday night trip to Surrey soon had an early answer as Littlejohn gave the Robins the lead inside of four minutes.

The Robins thought they had done enough to advance, only for Tom Read to score six minutes from time to take the game to penalties. Brown, substitute George Galbraith-Gibbons, Littlejohn, Bant and Troak gave Hassocks a perfect five from the spot.

It was the Robins’ first FA Cup win over a side from outside the Southern Combination League since 2010 and it earned a cool £1,200 in prize money – a particularly welcome cash injection given the lack of income over the previous six months.

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Four days later and Hassocks were brought back down to earth with a bump as they opened their Premier Division campaign away at Alfold.

With Carruthers sidelined, 46-year-old Wickwar took over in goal. The veteran himself lasted less than an hour before pulling a muscle as a result of not applying enough WD40 to his leg before the game, leaving defender Turner to play out the final 30 minutes in goal.

Unsurprisingly given the less-than-ideal goalkeeper situation, Hassocks were on the end of a 3-1 defeat. Pitcher got

“It was the Robins’ first FA Cup win over a side from outside the Southern Combination League since 2010” his campaign up and running but a brace from Tiago Andrade and one from Sammy Clemments gave the hosts a comfortable win.

A sizable crowd of 176 turned out for the first home game of the season as Hassocks hosted the previous season’s table toppers Lancing. Not many would have given the Robins a

hope beforehand. What followed was an extraordinary 90 minutes which suggested that this Hassocks side had enough about them to avoid another battle against relegation.

Pitcher gave the hosts the lead before Ebou Jallow scored twice to put the Lancers in control. Lancing retained their advantage right up until the 80th

www.hassocksfc.net | 15

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Season Review

minute when Joe Bull equalised. Hassocks were then awarded a 95th minute penalty with Troak displaying nerves of steel to dispatch the kick past Mitch Bromage to secure a famous 3-2 victory.

A stern test lay in wait next as the Robins travelled to Bedfont Sports in the FA Cup, whose smart 3G stadium is a stone’s throw from the end of Heathrow’s southern runway.

Unfortunately, Hassocks found their adventure in the world’s greatest cup competition grounded in a 3-1 defeat, although they did give the higher division Eagles plenty to think about.

Two goals from Jordan Espirit – the second of which was a hotly disputed penalty – looked to have Bedfont in control. The home fans certainly

thought so if the over-exuberance of one supporter in particular who had turned up with a vuvuzela was anything to go by.

Pitcher though had other ideas and he pulled one back with a brilliant individual goal, picking the ball up on halfway and beating two opponents before finishing

CONTINUED

that resulted in a toothless Hassocks display as the Barrowmen left Mid Sussex with a 3-1 victory. There was drama even before Pitcher’s early departure, with Troak seeing a penalty kept out by Steyning goalkeeper Alex Theobald.

“A sizable crowd of 176 turned out for the first home game of the season” into the bottom corner. The Robins threw the kitchen sink at their hosts after that but could not manage to add to the score, meaning that Bedfont flew through to the next round of the competition.

Pitcher hobbled off after just eight minutes of the visit of Steyning Town through injury three days later and

Although Troak made up for that miss by giving Hassocks the lead, this was a night when the Robins were secondbest as a Tom Bold double and Cian Griffin-Tilley had the visitors 3-1 ahead before the 50-minute mark. That was how it finished and to complete miserable evening, George Brown was shown a deserved red card.

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Season Review

CONTINUED

The less said about the FA Vase, the better. Pitcher was absent as former Hassocks defender Harry Mills kept a clean sheet whilst playing in goal for Peacehaven & Telscombe, the Tye running out easy 3-0 winners through a Tyler Scrafton double and a stunning free kick from Jake Brocklebank.

playing on one leg after pulling his thigh after just 20 minutes at the Saffrons.

A trip to Eastbourne Town did little to lift the mood. Injuries again caused problems, this time to goalkeeper Conor Evento who spent most of his debut after signing from Broadbridge Heath

Hassocks did at least rally after that as 17-year-old Alfie Loversidge scored his first senior goal with 15 minutes remaining. Troak then added a second, although any semblance of

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Town took full advantage, raining in four goals between the 34th and 57th minutes. Bright Temba hit a brace and Nathan Crabb and Sam Cole put their names on the scoresheet.

respectability to the result was gone when Daniel Hull and Matt RodriguesBarbosa added two more for Town in injury time as it finished 6-2.

Another tough test lay in wait in September’s final first team match as unbeaten Pagham visited the Beacon.

For 80 minutes, very little happened other than Pitcher earning and then converting a penalty to give Hassocks a 1-0 lead.

The final 10 minutes more than made up for the earlier lack of drama. A

st rally a le t a did s “Hassock 7-year-old 1 s a t a th after e scored his g ersid v o L ie Alf oal with 15 g senior first aining. Troak rem minutes second” a dded a then Hassocks corner resulted in a goalmouth scramble which Pitcher ended with a clinical finish to double the Robins’ advantage with only eight minutes left to play. The Lions halved the deficit within two minutes though, through a brilliant 25-yard volley from substitute Jamie Carroll, to set up a tense finish.

What nobody expected to see with

Hassocks defending a slender lead in stoppage time was their centre back charging 60 yards up the pitch with the ball. Will Broomfield was nearly rewarded for his bravery as he exchanged passes with Troak, resulting in Troak finding himself one-on-one with Pagham goalkeeper Connor Kelly who made a superb double save.

That was in the 93rd minute. In the 95th, Dave Crouch hit the post for the visitors and in the 97th, Ash Hawkes found himself one-on-one but could only drag wide as Hassocks held on for their second league win of the season.

A welcome to surprise to end the first team’s month.

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Season Review

The under 23s played two fixtures in the newly-created North Division in September, beginning their campaign with a local derby against Mid Sussex rivals St Francis Rangers.

Despite Kieran Dimelow scoring for the Robins, bragging rights remained at Colwell Road as goals from Josh Paine and former Hassocks favourite Jake Lindsey gave Rangers a 2-1 success.

three of their fixtures, plundering 19 goals along the way and conceding just twice. Brad Sweetman’s side kicked off with a 6-1 win at Roffey, followed that up by beating Steyning Town by the same score and then hammered Burgess Hill Town 7-0.

CONTINUED

elevated to the London & South East Regional Women’s League for 202021. Just how challenging became clear when they were beaten 10-0 in their first fixture by a Worthing side who had swept all before them prior to the previous season being curtailed.

“Hassocks bounced back in the best possible way from that hammering, winning 2-0 away at Crawley Wasps in their next fixture”

A week later, a first ever meeting with Horley Town at under 23 level ended in a 1-1 draw. Jonathan Kusaka put the Clarets ahead at the Beacon with George Galbraith-Gibbons levelling seven minutes later.

Chief amongst the goal scorers was Lewis Beebee, who netted eight times to start a ding-dong battle for the top scorer accolade with Archie Russell who himself notched three.

The under 18s enjoyed an excellent start to their campaign, winning all

The Ladies knew they were in for a challenging campaign having been

Hassocks bounced back in the best possible way from that hammering, winning 2-0 away at Crawley Wasps in their next fixture. Mia Pordage scored her first goal for the club and Jess Craig was also on target in a shock win.

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Season Review September was completed with a 3-1 defeat at home to Parkwood Rangers.

Kirsten Mair scored for Hassocks with Corrie Goodhew netting twice for the visitors to the Beacon, alongside Faye Tompsett.

Robins 2020-21 Season Review: October The second part of our 2020-21 Hassocks season review picks up the action in October. Following a mixed opening month to the campaign something clicked for the Robins in October as they picked up some

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seriously impressive results – as well as suffering a club-record home defeat – to end the month in the dizzy heights of seventh spot in the Premier Division table.

Peacehaven & Telscombe were the first visitors to the Beacon just two weeks after they had cruised to an easy 3-0 FA Vase victory in Mid Sussex. It turned out to be a very different story second time around as Hassocks gave a much-improved performance to run out 2-1 winners over the Tye.

James Littlejohn scored two identical goals in the space of 120 seconds around the hour mark, clinically putting two low Jack Troak crosses into the six yard box past James Broadbent in the Peacehaven goal.

Former Hassocks number one Broadbent made several first-class saves to prevent the Robins running up a cricket score and when Harry Red pulled one back for the Tye with 12 minutes remaining, a grandstand finish was on the cards.

Hassocks though held on, thanks to Will Broomfield, Andy Whittingham and Troak all clearing efforts off the line in front of an enthralled crowd of 228, the fifth-biggest step five attendance of the day across the entire country.

the trip to the Rotherfield.

Broomfield watched on from the stands and Littlejohn and Jack Gardner were named amongst the substitutes.

Three days later Dave John took the opportunity to rest players after such a hectic start to the season for the long journey west to Midhurst & Easebourne in the Sussex Senior Cup.

The result was a disjointed performance and a 3-0 defeat against fired up Division One opponents with all the goals coming in the first half – two from Harry Giles and one from Lewis Hyde.

Troak, Charlie Pitcher, Phil Gault, Charlie Pugh and Bradley Bant were all spared

Hassocks looked like they would pick up a point when they returned to

Premier Division action away at Broadbridge Heath, a tepid affair which made it into the 92nd minute locked at 0-0.

That was until a moment of magic from Heath’s Jamie Taylor, who took advantage of a scuffed clearance from Pugh venturing outside of his area to return an effort from a full 40 yards back over the head over the Hassocks goalkeeper and into the empty net.

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Season Review

Whilst the trip to High Wood Hill Sports Ground may have been devoid of entertainment bar Taylor’s late intervention, the Robins’ next fixture at East Preston turned out to be one of the most enthralling of the campaign.

In the ultimate example of a game of two halves, Hassocks led 4-0 going into the break against their bottom-of-the-table hosts. Harvey Enitcknap, Charlie Pitcher and a brace from defender George Brown left the Robins looking pretty as the sides walked off for the interval.

Whatever was said to East Preston at the break had the desired impact as they returned looking like a different team for the second half. A Gardner own goal and a Conor Bull penalty made it Hassocks 4-2 East Preston before the hour mark.

The hosts’ third arrived with two minutes remaining, Bull converting the rebound after Pugh had saved his initial penalty.

It then took a superbly timed last man tackle from Dan Turner to prevent Bull having a clear run on goal in the final seconds as Hassocks held on… just.

CONTINUED

Brown and Jake Chadwick were both sent off, Conor Evento had to be subbed off with injury early in the second half which meant a league debut in goal for 17-year-old Jayden Dunkley.

Four of the goals came in the final 10 minutes as Hassocks appeared to give up,

“It then took a superbly timed last man tackle from Dan Turner to prevent Bull having a clear run on goal in the final seconds as Hassocks held on.”

Premier Division leaders Horley Town visited the Beacon next, a bad time for Hassocks to give their worst performance of the season, the result being an 8-0 loss which set a new record as the heaviest senior home defeat in Robins’ history.

although there was at least one moment of comedy when Pitcher attempted to hold the ball in the corner with the Robins 6-0 behind, surely the only time in football history that a side has begun timewasting when losing in an attempt to prevent the score line getting any worse?

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Season Review Adam Grant was the pick of the visiting players, helping himself to a hat-trick. Sean O’Toole grabbed a brace with the other Clarets scorers being Richard Pingling, Lewis Pearch and Tony Halsey.

How do you bounce back from such a demoralising hammering? Well, if you are a team with a Jekyll and Hyde reputation like Hassocks, you go and win a league game away at Horsham YMCA for the first time in 17 years.

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CONTINUED

Troak opened the scoring at Gorings Mead but the lead was short lived, Cameron Gyeabour equalising with YM’s first real foray forward.

Two moments of second half magic from Pitcher followed as he scored a brace of the highest quality to give Hassocks a 3-1 victory, their first in that part of the world since Pat Harding scored twice in two minutes in a 2-0 success back in November 2003.

October ended with an enthralling clash against Langney Wanderers at the Beacon, featuring no less than nine goals with six of those scored between Pitcher and Littlejohn. Langney took the lead through Tim Bennett within a minute of kick off as a ferocious wind blowing towards the Railway End left Hassocks with their work cut out defensively in the first half.

Despite conditions being against them, the Robins equalised through

Pitcher and then led via Littlejohn. A Joe Summerbell goal looked like it would send the teams into the break level, only for Littlejohn to hit a crucial third for Hassocks in first half stoppage time.

With the wind now in their favour, the Robins were well placed to go on and win the game. Substitute Jamie Wilkes

being conditions ite p “Des Robins the , them inst aga gh Pitcher throu lised a equ Littlejohn” ia v led and then was involved in all four goals following his introduction on his home debut.

Litttlejohn completed his hat-trick on 78 minutes. Two minutes later Pitcher had his second and, six minutes on from that, Troak joined the party to bring up Hassocks’ half dozen. Pitcher

finished off the rout and his treble in injury time.

The under 23s got their season up and running in October after a difficult start to the campaign in which they failed to win any of their opening four matches.

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Season Review

Their month began with a 4-2 defeat against Broadbridge Heath, with Lewis Beebee scoring his first goals at under 23 level. That was followed by a Sussex Under 23 Challenge Cup exit at the hands of East Preston.

The Robins first win came thanks to a George Galbraith-Gibbons first half brace as Oakwood were beaten 2-1 at Tinsley Lane. A first meeting at development squad level with Jarvis Brook followed, Hassocks winning a ding-dong game 3-2 thanks to two goals in the final five minutes from substitute Jay Hudson.

Sam Sales had given Brook a first half lead which Wilkes wiped out two minutes into the second half. Alex Hook put the visitors back ahead on 80 minutes before Hudson’s late heroics

turned things around to give Hassocks their second three points of the season.

In their final game of the month, the Robins were beaten 1-0 at undefeated Crowborough Athletic. Edmund Lewis won it for the Crows with a superb strike from distance giving Dunkley in the Hassocks goal no chance.

There was a huge win for the under 18s to kick off October as they beat a young Rottingdean Village side 18-0 in the first round of the Sussex Dennis Probee Youth Cup. In amongst the goals at the Beacon were Beebee (2), Josh Sprigg (3), Alex Crawford (3), Beau Howard (2), Alfie Loversidge (3), Archie Russell (4) and Archie Messent.

Russell hit a hat-trick in the Robins’ next outing, a 6-0 win against Crawley Down

CONTINUED

Gatwick on their return to North Division action. Beebee was again amongst the goals and a brace from Howard rounded off the scoring.

Former Hassocks favourite Eddie French then brought his Billingshurst side to the Beacon in October’s final game. French knows a thing or two about what it takes to forge a good youth team having been part of one of the best under 18s sides Hassocks have ever had, captaining Sussex at youth level and going onto play nearly 100 times for the Robins before leaving to play Isthmian League football with Horsham.

His Billingshurst side gave Hassocks their toughest test of the season up to that point, keeping the Robins out for most of the game until a late surge saw

www.hassocksfc.net | 29

Season Review Howard, Messent and Crawford secure a 3-0 win.

The Ladies suffered three heavy defeats through October, losing 8-2 at home to Crawley Wasps, 7-0 against Ashford and 4-0 away at Lewes. Those two goals against Wasps came from Jess Craig and Katie Read.

Robins 2020-21 Season Review: December Before the November lockdown, Hassocks sat in the dizzy heights

30 | www.hassocksfc.net

CONTINUED

of seventh spot in the Southern Combination League Premier Division.

Things went less well following a month off as the third part of our 2020-21 season review covering December has to remind you, unfortunately.

December did get off to a decent start for the Robins, off the pitch at least. The 2020-21 instalment of the Ann John Trophy against Burgess Hill Town was hastily arranged to be the first fixture post-lockdown having been unable to

take place in its usual pre-season berth because of the summer restrictions on crowds.

Despite the fixture now happening in the depths of winter, a sizable crowd still turned out and a record £1,500 was raised for St Peter & St James Hospice. That was the good news.

The bad news was that Hassocks were comprehensively beaten by the Hillians as Jay Lovett’s Isthmian League outfit ran out 8-1 winners to

Hassocks did pull one back prior to the break, as Jack Troak fired home from the spot. That goal led to a much-improved Robins showing in the second half as they kept Hill at bay right up until the final 15 minutes.

ensure the trophy stayed at the More Than Tyres Stadium.

Former Robin Pat Harding opened the scoring for Hill with only nine minutes played and seven minutes later, Aaron Smith-Joseph added a second. Connor Tighe marked his first appearance since re-signing for the Hillians with the visitors’ third seconds later, Samson Doherty earned and converted a penalty for number four and Tighe made it five before half time.

Another ex-Hassocks player, Nathan Copper, made it six, Max Miller got the seventh from the third penalty of the afternoon and Tom Chalaye hit the goal of the game with a brilliant curling effort from distance to round off the scoring.

Three days later the Premier Division campaign resumed with Broadbridge Heath visiting the Beacon on a freezing cold Tuesday night. Both Robins and Bears did their best to warm things up in a fiery encounter featuring two red cards and so many further yellows that even the Royal Mail would have struggled to keep up.

Andy Whittingham saw red for Hassocks after a wild lunge on Alfie Jones to try and

retrieve a loose ball which the Robins left back had overrun.

That sparked an almighty melee and left Jones incensed.

He instantly set out to gain revenge, resulting in an even more vicious tackle than Whittingham’s and the Heath man becoming the second player dismissed in five minutes.

The only goal of the game had come some 40 minutes earlier, Mark Zydonik heading into an empty goal midway through the first half after Charlie Pugh had done well to keep out Ollie Joels’ initial header from a corner.

It was the same score line four days later when Hassocks suffered another 1-0 defeat, this time against Eastbourne United at the Oval. George Landais scored with 60 seconds of the first half remaining to give Ray Collier his first win as United boss following Matt Crabb’s resignation in October.

www.hassocksfc.net | 31

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Season Review

United were indebted to goalkeeper Sam Owens for their three points as he claimed the hosts’ man-of-the-match award after stepping in to replace Jordan Hawkins, who had moved to Steyning Town 24 hours earlier.

That defeat at United ended up being Hassocks’ last Premier Division match of 2020-21. Wet weather meant the visit of Alfold to the Beacon scheduled for December 20th was postponed with the winter lockdown following, preventing any football taking place until April and the Supplementary Shield.

The Robins finished the regular season in 12th place with six wins and seven defeats from their 13 matches, a muchimproved performance compared to the 2019-20 campaign when they were

sat in the relegation zone at the point of curtailment.

One under 23s match took place in December when North Division leaders Horsham YMCA visited the Beacon.

There was to be no upsetting the league table as Hassocks suffered a 2-0 defeat courtesy of goals from Ronnie Burchell and Johnny Mills in a game packed with drama which the Robins ended with only nine men on the pitch.

Shay Leahy picked up two quick-fire yellows after his introduction as a substitute, following goalkeeper Conor Evento in heading for an early bath.

Evento’s dismissal meant that 45-yearold Phil Wickwar found himself coming off the bench to take over being the

CONTINUED

sticks, making a piece of history as the only man to have played first team, reserves, under 23, under 18s and veterans football for the Robins.

The under 18s played two fixtures in December, surrendering their 100% record when held to a 2-2 draw by Broadbridge Heath at the Beacon in their first game back.

Lewis Beebee and Cody Craig scored against the Bears with Hassocks following that up by hammering Crawley Down Gatwick 8-0 at the Haven.

The Robins were top of the North Division when the season was brought to a close having won six and drawn one of their seven games, plundering 38 goals and conceding only four.

www.hassocksfc.net | 33

Season Review

Robins 2020-21 Season Review: Supplementary Shield After three months of inaction through lockdown, football returned with the easing of restrictions at the beginning of April and the Southern Combination League Supplementary Shield competition.

Hassocks opted to partake, although every game would take place away from the Beacon. The club decided to take advantage of the curtailment of the regular season by starting maintenance work to improve the pitch’s drainage early, allowing a full pre-season schedule to take place once supporters were able to attend matches again.

The Robins were drawn in Group C of the new tournament, pitting them

34 | www.hassocksfc.net

against three clubs who had all been higher in the Premier Division table when the campaign was halted. Horley Town had sat second and, with leaders Saltdean United opting not to take part, that made them the favourites for the competition.

CONTINUED

Hassocks began the Supplementary Shield away at Crawley Down Gatwick.

As is so often the case whenever Robins meet Anvils, it was 90 minutes packed with goals and entertainment, albeit sadly played out in front of an empty Haven.

Crawley Down Gatwick were sixth and Lingfield ninth. Hassocks looked to have their work cut out with only one team progressing from each group, although they were given a boost by the availability of Pat Harding.

James Littlejohn hit the post with a free kick inside the first five minutes and Josh Short and Harvey Enticknap both went close before Down took the lead against the run of play. There seemed to be little danger from a hopeful through pass which appeared to be going straight to Dan Turner.

Every season, Harding dual-signs from Burgess Hill Town and with the Isthmian League not opting to run an end-of-season tournament of their own, the Robins were able to call upon the services of their former striker.

Somehow though, the ball whizzed under Turner’s foot and that left Ollie Moore in on goal. He made no mistake, beating Dave Carruthers in the Hassocks goal to give the Anvils the advantage with 12 minutes of the first half remaining.

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Season Review

Turner made amends for his part in the Down opener by levelling the tie four minutes into the second half. A free kick out wide resulted in Alfie Loversidge whipping over an excellent cross for Turner to meet with a towering header past Tony Jenner.

Hassocks took the lead 19 minutes later with Short the architect, breaking through the home defence with a driving run to slip in Harding who finished with aplomb. It was Harding’s 132nd goal for the Robins and came 15 years after his 131st arrived in a 5-2 win over Eastbourne Town on the final day of the 2005-06 season.

Both teams began to tire in the closing stages which suited Hassocks as they attempted to see the game out.

Unfortunately, they could not quite do that as an own goal from Bradley Tighe ensured it ended 2-2.

Down substitute Tiago Andrade hit a hopeful shot towards goal which Tighe – making his first appearance back in Hassocks colours after re-signing from Seaford Town – managed to slash in off his shin at the near post.

CONTINUED

ago led Horley to expect another easy evening. If that were the case, then the hosts were in for a rude awakening.

Hassocks stormed into a two-goal lead inside of the first five minutes, paving the way for a shock 3-1 victory.

Three days later and the Robins faced the daunting prospect of a trip to Horley.

The last time these two sides met had been in October when the Clarets inflicted an 8-0 defeat on nine-man Hassocks, the heaviest home reversal in Hassocks history.

Perhaps the manner of their victory at the Beacon seven months and two lockdowns

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Season Review

Charlie Pitcher scored all three of the Robins’ goals. The first came when Short seized on a loose pass, drew home goalkeeper George Hyde and then unselfishly squared to Pitcher who was left with the simple task of rolling into an empty yet.

90 seconds later Jack Troak’s clever quick throw caught the Horley defence unaware, leaving Harding to collect and race through. Harding pulled back to Pitcher who applied the finish via a deflection to double Hassocks’ advantage.

Horley recovered well from that shock start, forcing Carruthers into a string of fine stops. The Hassocks goalkeeper denied Kerran Boylan and then had to produce an outstanding double save from a Lewis Pearch effort and Boylan’s follow up.

There was little Carruthers could do when Russell Harvey pulled one back nine minutes before half time. Hassocks managed to make it to the break without conceding again before repeating their trick from an hour earlier by catching Horley cold with a quick-fire goal only minutes into the second half.

CONTINUED

The halfway point of the competition was brought up with a 3-2 defeat at Lingfield, leaving the Lingers top of Group C and Hassocks second.

The Robins’ management were left infuriated by a controversial second half penalty decision when the sides were locked at 1-1, paving the way for

“Horley recovered well from that shock start, forcing Carruthers into a string of fine stops” Littlejohn made it, playing a clever ball over the top of the home defence after Hassocks had broken down a Horley attack. A burst of speed from Pitcher took him clear and he finished past Hyde with aplomb to complete his hat-trick and secure an unexpected three points.

the Lingers to score twice in as many minutes.

Lingfield seized the initiative through Rhys White with 19 minutes played.

They looked like they were going to make it to the interval with the advantage until a brilliant strike from

www.hassocksfc.net | 39

Season Review distance from Jack Troak levelled things up five minutes before the break.

It was just past the hour mark when the spot kick which so riled the Robins arrived. A shot from point blank range crashed into a Hassocks shoulder.

Superhuman reactions would have been needed to get out of the way and yet much to the surprise of the visitors, referee Mark Gidman pointed to the spot.

Substitute Josh Biddlecombe duly converted having only been on the pitch for nine minutes and Lingfield’s third

40 | www.hassocksfc.net

arrived through Stephend Hodge less than 120 seconds after Biddlecombe’s successful spot kick.

Hassocks scored twice after the clock hit 89 minutes to come away with a 4-2 victory, a score line which was harsh on a side who dominated for large parts.

Hassocks rallied to set up a tense final 10 minutes when a flurry of attacks lead to a loose ball spilling to Harding, lurking at the back post. Harding made no mistake, tidily placing an effort into the bottom corner out of the reach of Thurbin. The Robins though could not quite force an equaliser.

Just like at Horley a week earlier, Hassocks made a fast start by taking the lead after only six minutes. Some neat triangles down the right flank between Littlejohn and Harding opened up a gap to slide in Loversidge and the teenager made no mistake, beating Jenner to make it 1-0.

The second game against Crawley Down was even more fun-filled than the first as

Loversidge turned provider next, playing a big part in the goal which doubled the

Robins’ advantage eight minutes before half time. Short released Loversidge down the right and his cross was glanced home by Troak ghosting in from the left flank.

Midway through the second half and Hassocks’ 2-0 lead was wiped out in less than 90 seconds. Andrade was left with a simple finish on 68 minutes after a superb run and cross from Lewis Croal. before Down regained possession straight from kick off and Michael Belli levelled things up.

Down were very much in the ascendency after that and they poured forward looking for a winner. That left plenty of space for Hassocks to exploit on the break, something the Robins did in the final minute of normal time when Pitcher rounded off a lightning quick counter.

The Anvils now had little choice but to become even more attacking in the search for an equaliser, opening the game up even more. Troak was the man to take advantage, beating former

Hassocks right back Harvey Blake before chipping to the back post where Harding arrived to slam home.

Hassocks’ penultimate game saw them travel to Lingfield, a fixture which looked pivotal in deciding who out of Lingers or Robins topped the group. Nothing could separate the sides on this occasion as it finished 2-2, leaving Lingfield two points clear ahead of the final round of matches.

www.hassocksfc.net | 41

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Season Review

A tense affair did not spark into life until the final 20 minutes. Harding opened the scoring on his 200th appearance in Hassocks colours when Troak did well down the left to find Pitcher who slid in his strike partner.

Unlike last time though, Hassocks found a way back just three minutes after the Lingers went ahead. Troak was involved once more, playing a lovely cross into the box which initially looked like it was going beyond Harding.

Although home goalkeeper Thurbin kept out the initial effort, the rebound fell straight to Harding and he made no mistake with a side footed finish.

That was until the striker stretched to produce a magical first touch to bring the ball down before placing a cool side footed volley out of reach of Thurbin.

Hassocks had been undone by those two goals in the space of a minute against Lingfield last time out and history repeated itself again as the hosts notched twice in quick succession.

Sami Bakhit got the first from the bench on 77 minutes and his fellow replacement Biddlecombe made it 2-1 to Lingfield on 79.

To reach the semi-finals, Hassocks now needed to win against Horley in their final group game and hope Crawley Down could do them a favour by beating Lingfield.

CONTINUED

to the scene of the triumph and were hammered 8-2.

Even if they had managed to upset the Clarets for the second time in a fortnight, it would not have mattered as Lingfield got the job done with a 2-1 victory over Down.

Hassocks probably suspected that this was not going to be their evening when Littlejohn picked up an injury in the warm-up and had to subsequently drop down to the bench.

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Season Review

In some circumstances, such late disruption could be blamed for Horley taking the lead with just 10 minutes played but, on this occasion, it was a strike of pure and simple brilliance from Ryan Smith which gave the hosts the early advantage. He spotted Charlie Pugh off his line and beat the Hassocks goalkeeper from a full 60 yards.

That proved to be the opening of the floodgates. Ryan Brackpool and Kevin Moreno-Gomez made it 3-1 before 24 minutes, after which Pitcher pulled one back with a sweet effort from the edge of the area for his 16th of the season from only 20 appearances.

Mario Quiassaca made it 4-1 on 33 minutes, the final goal before half time.

With perfect symmetry, the second

CONTINUED

half also finished 4-1. Quiassaca hit his second and the Clarets’ fifth seven minutes after the restart with a side footed effort from an Adam Pullin pull back.

laying off to Moreno-Gomez to notch his second of the evening. Grant then completed his own brace to make it 8-1 to the hosts with 15 minutes left to play.

Horley introduced Adam Grant from their bench, a warning sign for Hassocks given he had scored a hat-trick in that 8-0 earlier in the season. It did not take

Hassocks were suddenly facing the very real prospect of conceding double figures for the first time in senior football. Given how clinical Horley had been, it almost felt like an achievement that the Robins managed to get through the final quarter of an hour without another shot beating Pugh.

“Horley recovered well from that shock” Grant long to start tormenting the Robins again as he calmly beat Pugh with a oneon-one opportunity after being played in within nine minutes of his introduction.

There were still 20 minutes to play when goal number seven arrived, Grant

Instead, it was Pugh’s opposite number who was the last goalkeeper to pick the ball out of the net. Harding rounded off a highly successful time back in Hassocks red with his sixth goal from six matches, producing a clean finish after pouncing on a loose ball.

www.hassocksfc.net | 45

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Hassocks Junior Football Club was established with the purpose of providing footballing activities to the youth players of Hassocks and the surrounding communities.

The club consists of 24 different teams across 13 different age groups starting with our very youngest players at U5 right up to our eldest players at U17.

We’re also proud that this includes 3 x girls teams which will be representing the club next year in the U11, U13 & U14 age groups such has been the recent explosion in girls football (Definitely our biggest growth area).

We play both competitive and noncompetitive football and are represented in five different leagues – Mid Sussex

Youth & Minor Football League, Horsham & District Youth Football League, Sussex Sunday Youth Football League, Crowborough and District Junior Football League and Sussex County Women & Girls Football League.

get a lot of pride when some of our stronger players make the Senior teams - We have 6 x U16s on trial with the Senior Teams U18s this year.

“With over 350 players registered to the club we are one of the biggest sports clubs in the area.”

With over 350 players registered to the club we are one of the biggest sports clubs in the area and currently have home pitches in Adastra Park, Belmont and Clayton Rec. Although we are primarily focussed on inclusivity and development, we also

Hassocks Junior FC is a Three Star FA Accredited Club and associated with Hassocks FC. Contacts President – Nick Palmer presidenthjfc@hotmail.com Chairman – Jason Roberts hjfcchairman@gmail.com Secretary – Stuart Doyle secretaryhjfc@gmail.com

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Sponsorship opportunities There are a number of ways you can support Hassocks FC during the seasons.

Our main advertising packages are listed below, but if you want to discuss something more bespoke please contact us.

Sponsor a Player For just £40, you can sponsor your favourite Hassocks player for the 2021-22 season.

This is an excellent way for an individual to show support to one particular player or a local business to get behind the Robins.

You will have your name featured in every edition of our matchday programme as well as mentions on both the Hassocks website and social media feeds.

Pitch Side Advertising The Beacon plays host to well over 100 games of football in a normal season with matches ranging from Hassocks’ first team, Under 23s, Under 18s, veterans and ladies sides through to various Southern Combination and

Mid Sussex League cup finals and a number of Brighton and Hove Schools representative games.

For an annual fee, you can promote your business to every visitor to the Beacon through pitch side advertising. A standard length advert (2400mm x 900mm) is £200 + VAT per season. An extra-long length advert (4000mm x 900mm) is £350 + VAT per season (Prices exclude design, print and production costs) Matchday Programme Advertising The Hassocks matchday programme was voted the best publication in the Southern Combination League in 2018-19, the last time the awards were held due to the past two seasons being uncompleted.

Not only are our programmes available to buy on the day, but they can also be downloaded by supporters and programme enthusiasts for free via our website.

With a guaranteed 19 home games, advertising through our programmes in the 2021-22 season is a sure fire way to ensure your company name is out there. A season’s worth of advertising is set at £150 + VAT. Matchday Sponsor Matchday sponsorship costs £100 + VAT. This price includes four complementary tickets to the game you sponsor and the opportunity to pick the Man-of-the-Match.

Businesses who sponsor a match are listed in every programme for the remainder of the season and are included in both the match preview and match report on the our website.

To sign up for any of the Robins sponsorship schemes or for more information on how you or your company can support Hassocks in the coming football season, please email hassocksfc@outlook.com

www.hassocksfc.net | 49

HOW TO FIND & CONTACT US Untitled map Untitled layer

Founded 1902 The Beacon Ground, Brighton Road, Hassocks, BN6 9LY CLUB OFFICIALS CHAIRMAN / TREASURER Dave John 07787 563351 VICE CHAIR / MEMBERSHIP / BAR MANAGER Owen John 07747 612526 SECRETARY Nick Palmer nickpalmer90@hotmail.com

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PROGRAMME EDITORS Owen John 07747 612526 Scott McCarthy 07887 746222 WEBSITE MANAGER Scott McCarthy 07887 746222 WEBSITE www.hassocksfc.net E-MAIL hassocksfc@outlook.com Search HassocksFC to find us on Facebook and Twitter

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