Hassocks set up a plum home tie
with Bognor Regis Town after a comfortable 5-0 win at second
division Bexhill United. Probably for the first time
this season, the Robins did not look in any danger of losing
the game and John Suter and Mickey Jewell must have been
pleased with a fine all round performance and in particular
five different scorers and a clean sheet.
To be fair the first 40 or so
minutes was pretty even, with both sides giving the ball away
to each other with alarming regularity. Simon Bristow
partnered James Laing up front and his angle shot flew wide
after just 5 minutes. At the other end Jack Aston lashed a
shot wide before Ashley Marsh found himself in very unfamiliar
territory in front of the opposing goal after Laing played him
in. Marsh appeared to get a "nosebleed" and squared
it, when the best option was a strike on goal but he can be
forgiven after a record of 1 goal in 170 appearances!
Bristow, who had been one of
the main culprits in handing possession to Bexhill on several
occasions, gave the Robins the lead on 38 minutes, his tame
effort from 25 yards somehow eluded the grasp of Akyut Kusha
in the home goal and the ball trickled agonisingly over the
line.
Matt Russell replaced the
injured Laing at the interval and Hassocks took the game by
the scruff of the neck. They doubled the lead on 59 minutes.
Dan Jacques, who had another promising game at right wing
back, found himself in an advanced position but he scuffed his
shot, but it somehow went through the home defence and found
Russell, who slotted home at the second attempt. Matt Percival
was just over with a dipping volley and Bristow failed to
clear Kusha with an attempted lob when one on one with the
keeper.
Matt Amos and Anthony Hibbert
replaced Bristow and Percival on 67, Russell fired wide and
Bexhill sub Ricky Mote missed their clearest chance, smashing
over the bar from 12 yards.
Jamie Hillwood netted the 3rd
for Hassocks on 80 minutes with a superb individual run that
started in his own half and ended with him going round the
home keeper and tucking home. Russell hit the post from a yard
after an Amos cross, with Spencer Slaughter ending a fine move
involving Hibbert, Russell and Amos with a neat finish on 87.
Hassocks rounded off things in injury time, Hibbert placing a
neat finish wide of Kusha from the edge of the box, after a
good lay off by Amos.
Hassocks certainly learnt their
lessons after losing to Rustington and can hopefully now look
forward to a good crowd when Bognor visit the Beacon on 28th
October.
Hassocks - Simpson, Jacques, Marsh, Pitcher, Faith, White,
Percival (Hibbert 67), Slaughter, Bristow (Amos 67) Laing
(Russell 45) Hillwood
Unused sub - Thompson
Starman - Good all-round team
performance but just goes to Dan Jacques for another solid
display
