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Sussex County League Division 1
Saturday
20th
October
2007
RAMPANT ROBINS
PUT WICK TO THE SWORD
Wick 1-5
Hassocks
After 20
minutes of this encounter, you would have been forgiven for
thinking that the only team that could possibly win this game
5-1 would have been the home side. They dominated the
proceedings from the off, with the Robins defence and midfield
at sixes and sevens and the influential Tom Manton and Russell
Hardwell causing untold problems down the flanks. However,
Hassocks weathered the storm, got a foothold in the game and
produced a stunning performance to trounce a star-studded Wick
line up.
You
only had to look at the bench to see how strong Wick are this
season, with 10-goal Dominic Shepherd, former Whitehawk man
Gareth Green and ex-Lewes player Peter Brackley amongst the
subs. Add to this 6 former Chichester players, including the
County League’s top scorer, Scott Murfin and it’s not
difficult to understand why the Hassocks contingent were
delighted at the final whistle.
Wick
are a top footballing side but failed to capitalise on their
early dominance, Hardwell forced a fine save from Joel Harding,
Paul Jones headed over and Scott Murfin was only denied by a
last ditch block from Ashley Marsh. It was against the run of
play that the visitors took the lead on 29 minutes. Stuart
Faith’s shot from 30 yards was parried by David Leaver out for
a corner, much to the disgust of the Wick defence and from the
resulting corner Mark Sheriff was tripped, Anthony Hibbert
despatching the penalty with ease. Murfin then hit a fine effort
just wide before Hassocks doubled the lead three minutes before
the break, Hibbert smashing home a pinpoint shot from 25 yards,
after Phil Gault had laid the ball back into his path. Before
the interval, Leaver twice denied Sheriff with brilliant one
handed saves, the first from a close range header and the second
from an audacious hook with his left foot from 30 yards.
Wick
started the second half with purpose, Steve Boston flashing a
header over the bar, whilst at the other end, Gault just delayed
his shot enough for Jones to deny him. Boston halved the deficit
on 53, nodding home from 6 yards, the ball looping up nicely for
him after Harding had denied the impressive Manton. Brendan
Leahy was then injured in a goalmouth scramble, the Hassocks
defender leaving the field on a stretcher after twisting his
knee. Harding had done superbly to tip over a deflected Boston
cross beforehand. Matt Robbins replaced Leahy, with Faith
dropping back to centre half.
As
Wick pushed forward for the equaliser, Hassocks began to hit
them on the counter attack and Gault nearly restored the
two-goal cushion but Leaver parried his shot out for a corner.
The lively Boston again troubled Harding with a header. Shepherd
and Green were then brought on, the former replacing the injured
Murfin up front. On 70 minutes Hassocks led 3-1. Harding’s
huge clearance sailed over the defence, Gault latched onto it,
squared for Sheriff, who was upended by Leaver and Hibbert
coolly slotted past Leaver for his hat-trick.
Gault
scored a superb individual effort on 74 minutes to make it 4-1,
leaving Jones and Ben Buckland for dead, before curling a left
footer exquisitely into the far corner. The Robins were rampant
now, picking off the home defence at will and it was that man
Gault again who netted the 5th with five minutes
remaining, cutting out a poor backpass from Phil Turner and
walking the ball into an empty net after rounding Leaver.
The
Wick players and management left the field shell-shocked, whilst
the Hassocks players and supporters were jubilant at such an
impressive away win.
Team; Harding,
Fisk, Thompson, Marsh, Lear, Leahy (Robbins 58), Faith,
Slaughter, Hibbert, Gault, Sheriff (Franks 86)
Unused subs:
Barnes and Wickwar
Man of the
Match: Although Anthony Hibbert netted a hat-trick, the vote
just goes to Phil Gault, who was a constant menace to the Wick
back line all afternoon
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