After some upbeat
performances at the Beacon, Hassocks had an
off day on Saturday and it cost them a 2-1
League Cup defeat. Division
2 Seaford made it four away wins on the trot
and really Robins had only themselves to blame
after they failed to follow up a bright start.
True, the
visitors were hanging on at the end but
Hassocks must have known it was not going to
be their day when in-form striker Neil Kane
had to pull out before the start. Kane has
been struggling with a knee injury and his
place was taken by James Laing. The hosts also
lost Anthony Hibbert to injury at half time
and it meant a reshuffle as young Logan
Newington came on up front and Phil Gault
moved back to midfield.
The hosts
should have gone ahead within the first two
minutes when a slick move, which has been a
hallmark of their recent play, involving Gault
and Hibbert played in Daley Clark on the
right. His first effort was blocked but he
picked up the rebound and faced an open goal,
only to hit the far post. It was an open tie
from that moment onwards on a day when a
strong wind did not make it easy for the
players.
Joel Harding's
fingertips kept out one Seaford effort before
their rangy striker Drew Greenall should have
done better with a clear header. Scott
Dartnall was not far away with an enterprising
45-yard effort on the wind before an
uncharacteristic error by Harding gifted
Seaford the opening goal on 33 minutes. The
home keeper spilled a low cross and Joe
Cutress was the grateful beneficiary. Harding
part made amends five minutes later when he
did superbly to react to a big deflection to
save Rickie Mitchell's effort.
Harding was not
particularly positive with a couple of high
crosses early in the second half and on 65
minutes he spilled another one, allowing
Seaford skipper Ben Dartnall to pop in the
rebound. Home players clearly felt their
keeper had been fouled but after consulting a
linesman, referee Mark Parsons allowed the
goal to stand. If anything, though, Seaford
players were even more incensed when Hassocks
threw themselves a lifeline six minutes later
as a left wing cross by Arnie Kublickas
drifted in on the wind. Visiting defenders
were positive their keeper Sheldon Levewtt had
been fouled at the far post but even if he
was, the ball was probably in before there was
any contact.
Whatever the
case, it was poetic justice and set up a last
19 minutes when Seaford were hanging on
although Cutress forced another good save from
Harding as Hassocks were caught on the break.
Overall, Robins had their chances to have
taken the tie into extra time and it was young
Lewington who had the clearest of them. Twice
in three minutes soon after his introduction
he was through one-on-one with the keeper,
finishing somewhat meekly on the first
occasion, allowing Levett to save comfortably,
and then lifting the ball agonisingly just
over the top.
Late on he
looked set to bag the equaliser before Adam
Kneller intervened but apart from those
efforts, it was only long range efforts by
Laing and Gault that threatened a goal.
Spencer Slaughter flirted with a second yellow
card after one foul too many earned him the
first but Seaford picked up three bookings for
verbal offences in a watchable tie where there
was some neat football but even more conceding
of possession too cheaply.
Hassocks:
Harding; Jacques, Marsh, Bowra, Faith,
Kublickas; Slaughter, Hibbert, Clark; Gault,
Laing.
Subs: Newington
(Hibbert, 45), Thompson (Clark, 75), Bates
(not used).
Middy Starman:
Stuart Faith
