Hassocks went
behind after just 17 seconds of this Vase
tie at Combined Counties Molesey on
Saturday and they must have known from
that point on it wasn't going to be their
day. At the end manager Dave John said,
"I really don't know how we failed to
score but if we'd been out there all day I
don't think we would have done."
The
visitors did create some good chances but
were denied by a post on the first
occasion and then some excellent saves.
But in the end they could have no real
complaints about going out as it was a
painfully bitty performance against a side
who had the best player on the park in No
7 Sam Lampard and yet clearly are
struggling. They are still to win in seven
league starts this season.
Curriously,
it was James McShane who earned the hosts'
man-of-the-match award and that may have
been for putting away that early chance,
created when Lampard was allowed to make
easy progress down the right. The Robins
were woeful in the opening 25 minutes and
apart from a couple of blocks by Stuart
Faith and some headers from James Laing,
they played very much second fiddle. But
as half time approached, there was a
little more to cheer traveling fans.
Spencer
Slaughter started to get forward and on 33
minutes he was played through by Anthony
Hibbert. Although the low shot had keeper
Wester Young beaten, the foot of his right
hand post came to the rescue. Soon after,
strong penalty claims for a handball were
turned down by referee Steve Woodinson
when Slaughter again got in a shot.
But the
first half could have ended as it began
when home centre half Joe Yeates stooped
to head a corner goalwards but was denied
by a combonation of Arni Kublickas, the
bar and the post. Immeadiately after the
break Kublickas sliced a fair chance wide
and at the other end McShane lifted a
clear shooting chance over the bar.
As the half
progressed, it was Hassocks who looked the
more likely scorers. Faith's glancing
header was comfortable enough for Young
but both he and Lampard performed heroics
on the line to keep out Slaughter's
goalbound shot after a superb run by Terry
Gacias. When the ball was returned into
the box, Young then had to be alert to
turn over an acrobatic overhead kick from
Neil Kane.
Hibbert
squandered a free kick after Kane had been
brought down by big No 4 Moses Spencer,
who had already been booked and looked
pleasantly surprised when the referee
failed to mete out another yellow card.
There was seven minutes remaining when a
delightful one-two enabled Hibbert to this
time hit his shot perfectly but all credit
to Young, who went full length to save to
his left.
If there
were any hopes left in visiting player's
minds that there could still be a goal for
them, it hardly mattered five minutes
later when Matt Baxter was played through
and slipped the ball under keeper Joel
Harding. Boss John said his side missed
the unwell Phil Gault but they had far too
many players on an off-day to deserve much
from the game.
Hassocks:
Harding, Jacques, Faith, Marsh, Bowra,
Kublickas; Slaughter, Gacias, Hibbert;
Kane, Laing
Subs: Bates
(Slaughter, 83), Simpson, Clark, Brown,
Gander (unused)
Starman:
Difficult one but Sol Bowra was one of the
most consistent performers on a bad day
