Sussex County League Division 1
Saturday 26th December 2009
RANGERS CLAIM LOCAL BRAGGING RIGHTS 
Hassocks 1-2 St Francis Rangers

RANGERS notched a first league win over their local rivals at the fifth time of asking and it was thoroughly well deserved as Roy Staughton's boys made it three victories in a row to make for a great end to 2009. They always looked more menacing than a Hassocks side clearly missing the combative spirit of Stuart Faith and even without manager Dave John, who reluctantly had to succumb to 'flu that kept him confined to barracks. Whether Johnsy could have stirred his troops sufficiently will never be known but clearly something was needed to get them back in the match after they fell behind to Rangers' first attack after only four minutes.

One of the more obvious moves would have been to push James Laing forward much earlier from a defensive role in which he looked far from comfortable. Laing's ability to hold the ball up would have enabled Neil Kane to utilise his space and Phil Gault his guile. As it was, Robins were 2-0 down before Gault converted a setpiece at the far post to give the home side a glimmer of hope in the final five minutes or so. But they merited nothing from the match and Rangers deservedly held on for three points that will further boost confidence and send them into the new year unbeaten in four. Westlake picked up the pieces when a Geoff Pitcher effort came back off a defender to give the visitors the best possible start and from there they always had the edge.

Westlake's joy was somewhat stifled by a booking three minutes later for what young referee Kevin Roberts construed as a dive. It seemed at first as if the free kick had been given Westlake's way but perhaps it was the passionate response of the home players that prompted a change of heart. Probably no free kick and no booking would have been more in keeping with the season but Mr Roberts added to his Christmas list by issuing other yellow cards to Hassocks' Dan Jacques, Spencer Slaughter and Terry Gacias, and Rangers' Glenn Charker.

Holiday derby matches are notoriously poor spectacles and while both sides tried to play football, dwelling too long on the ball and poor distribution meant this game barely shook off that tag. Although generally it was Rangers who looked the most likely scorers, only the finger tips of Simon Lehkyj denied Gault when he got there first to a Route One ball and then provided the cross that would have given Kane a clear chance had he not slipped at the vital moment. At the other end Sam Palmer finished poorly although an offside flag was already raised and he then pulled a save low down from Joel Harding. 

After the break Harding tipped over a Sam Palmer header and then did the same with the help of the bar when Matt Carruthers got up well to an Elliott Butler corner. Lehkyj was probably still suffering the effects of a back injury when Laing's speculative lob hit the bar but on 77 minutes Rangers effectively won the match when Jake Forward got the better of Sol Bowra on the touchline and cut inside to take his chance clinically. Gault's effort six minutes later was too little, too late to prevent the visitors moving level on points with their hosts.

Hassocks: Harding; Jacques, Marsh, Laing, Bowra, Kublickas; Hibbert, Slaughter, Gacias; Gault, Kane. Subs: Woods (Kublickas, 61), Clark (Kane, 74),Pitcher (Bowra, 78).

Middy Starman: Phil Gault