In a superb advert
for County League football Hassocks and Three
Bridges shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the
Beacon. It looked as if the Robins would take
all three points after Neil Kane's excellent
volley gave them the lead on 77 minutes, but
Joel O'Hara's tap in from close range two
minutes from time gave Bridges a deserved
point.
Both sides
knocked the ball around with confidence on a
fine Beacon surface, with the game played at a
good pace and it has to be said excellently
refereed by Ryan Ellis, who let the game flow
and acted sensibly when flashpoints involving
Terry Gacias and James Grant and Ashley Marsh
and Ashley Dugdale erupted, rightly producing
yellow cards for all involved.
There were long
range efforts from Gacias, Grant and Dean
Wright early on and Phil Gault produced a
moment of magic on 19 minutes, chesting down
and volleying left footed but Mark Fox was
equal to it. Stuart Faith headed over a Gacias
free-kick with Fox beaten, and Gault's cross
was scrambeld away by Fox, whilst at the other
end Joel Harding had to be alert to punch away
an effort from Royce Greenidge. Gault again
went close on 55 minutes, his dipping half
volley just went over the bar and Dean Carden
tested Harding from distance.
Hassocks took
the lead on 77, Kane volleying in superbly
from 20 yards after Gacias' forward header.
Bridges should have equalised almost
immediately, substitute Elliott Romaine
inexplicably missed a header from inside the
six yard box but they earned a point when
O'Hara applied the finish at the far post. It
could have got worse for the Robins in
stoppage time, but Harding made an outstanding
save from point blank range.
Hassocks:
Harding, Jacques, Kublickas, Marsh, Faith,
Bowra; Gacias, Bates, Hibbert; Gault, Kane
Subs: Slaughter
(Bates 76), Simpson, Laing, Clark, Gander
(unused)
