AFTER struggling to get off the mark this season, gifted young Hassocks striker Matt Amos came good again in Tuesday’s RUR Cup tie at Division 2 Crawley Down. Amos struck in the first minute of each half and with another effort in between was able to celebrate a hat-trick long before taking a well earned rest.

No doubt the hosts will be unhappy with themselves for some of the goals conceded but this was never anything less than a cakewalk for the Robins.
Even so that did not stop manager Dave John having a few choice words to say at half time after watching the team take a 2-0 lead in 12 minutes and then fail to take advantage of their clear superiority.

In truth, they had too much time on the ball and as a result became sloppy. At least Johnsy was better pleased with the second-half performance. The action had barely started when the home defence failed to deal with a big clearance by keeper Joel Harding and Amos scored via the underside of the bar. Not long after the striker, who is off to university next month, scored at the near post from an excellent Phil Gault cross.

Things then became a little slack and with home No 2 Adam New and No 9 James Upton impressing, Crawley Down were offered some hope. But that was extinguished less than a minute after the break when New’s poor back pass sold keeper Eddie Olding short and his equally poor clearance hit Amos before leaving him a simple tap-in. There was a stirring reply from Down as in the next few minutes Gareth Neathey pulled two excellent saves out of Harding. But a fourth goal on 62 minutes enabled John to give his subs a run out. It came from an Anthony Hibbert penalty when Kieren Fielding was adjudged to have handled after good work by Gault and Mickey Turner.

Stuart Faith was immediately brought on to allow Brendan Leahy to rest an ankle injury and later youngsters Logan Newington and Michael Bates were also given a run out. Newington had one great chance to open his senior account but pulled his shot wide of the far post. Tempers became frayed leading to bookings for Ashley Marsh and the feisty Neathey but that isolated incident was out of context with the game.

Hassocks: Harding; Turner, Marsh, Lear, Leahy, Thompson; Robbins, Slaughter, Hibbert; Gault, Amos

Subs: Faith (Leahy, 62), Newington (Amos, 72), Bates (Robbins, 75)

Middy Starman: It has to go to Matt Amos for ending his goal famine with a banquet