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Sussex County League Division 1
Saturday
2nd
May
2009
ROBINS EDGED OUT
AGAIN
Hassocks 0-1
Shoreham
A tough and immensely disappointing
season for Hassocks ended in an all-too-familiar 1-0 defeat to
bogey side Shoreham but with plenty of promising youngsters
blooded, it could pay off next time around.
This was the fourth time Robins had lost narrowly to Shoreham
this season and they failed to score in any of those games. But
for the first 28 minutes at the Beacon on Saturday they looked
by far the better side and it was grossly against the run of
play when the visitors scored from their first attack of any real
note, Jamie Groves tapping in at close range from a right wing
cross.
Hassocks looked bright from the
start and there was barely more than a minute on the clock when
the visitors were lucky to survive a scramble in their box that
ended with Adam Williams firing wide of the far post. Williams
and striker Nathan Miles looked particularly lively during the
early stages and with Spencer Slaughter, presented with the
supporters' player-of-the-year trophy before the kick off, and
Anthony Hibbert influential in midfield, it looked only a matter
of time before Hassocks finally opened their season's account
against stubborn opponents. Hibbert should have done better with
a free header from a stream of corners, many of which he took
himself, and then on 27 minutes Williams struck a half volley
just over after Hibbert's free kick found him at the far post.
That proved something of a
turning point for a minute later the hosts fell behind and could
have been 2-0 down 30 seconds later when Marcus Strevens missed
a sitter. What looked a harsh booking for Hassocks skipper
Ashley Marsh hardly helped his humour for the rest of the match
and his side were never more the dominant force, although they
roused themselves again in the last quarter of the match. By
then, however, it could have been all over as the visitors
missed some good chances and Jason Gander did well to prevent an
own goal when Dan Jacques was left stretching to clear a cross
by Owen Callaghan.
The arrival of James Laing helped
revive home fortunes a little but clear chances for them were at
a premium, while at the other end Darren Annis was inches too
high with a good strike and Gander saved well low down to his
left from a Groves free kick. Overall Hassocks were perhaps a
shade unlucky to finish with nothing to show for their efforts
but lack of goals has clearly been a problem this season and one
that Dave John will be keen to address before the start of the
next campaign.
Hassocks: Gander; Kublickas,
Marsh, Bowra, Jacques, Thompson; Slaughter, Hibbert, Williams;
Miles, Kane.
Subs: Laing (Kane, 64), Dawes (Bowra,
72), Pitcher (Slaughter, 80).
Starman: No-one really
stood out over the 90 minutes but it just goes to Nathan Miles.
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