Sussex County League Division 1
Saturday
28th
March
2009
LATE JITTERS ROB
ROBINS
Hassocks 3-3
Wick
WITHOUT a goal in four games and no
win in five, Hassocks took this game by the scruff of the neck
after half time before another late bout of home jitters gave
the pre-match leaders a get-out-of-jail card. No
doubt Dave John's battlers deserved victory on the day after
suffering a somewhat unlucky 3-2 defeat at Crabtree Park six
weeks earlier. Then a foul by Hassocks skipper Ashley Marsh on
Scott Murfin enabled Wick to clinch a penalty winner seven
minutes into stoppage time and this time it was again a Marsh
foul on Murfin two minutes into injury time that earned the
visitors a fortunate point. Their second goal had arrived only
four minutes earlier after Hassocks looked set to earn full
reward for a rousing second-half display that brought three
goals in 17 minutes and a 3-1 lead.
A diagonal wind had been behind
Wick in the first half but they were a little fortunate to turn
around 1-0 up as they created very little. The gifted Murfin
provided the only threat and it was his efforts that forced an
own goal 11 minutes in. He recovered first after being blocked
by two defenders and his cross was headed into his own goal by
Spencer Slaughter. A minute later the hapless Slaughter was not
so accurate with a header at the other end from one of several
excellent crosses by right back Arni Kublickas, who made an
excellent senior debut.
Hassocks enjoyed the greater
share of possession in the first half but looked a little
toothless and apart from a good chance squandered by Laurence
Robinson on 40 minutes, one wondered where a goal might come
from.
As far as Wick were concerned, that was a little easier to see
as Murfin was a constant threat and had an effort cleared off
the line by Richard Thompson after Hassocks failed to clear a
Daren Pearce corner. But it was clear at the midway point that
it was well worth the hosts having a go at their lofty visitors
and whatever John said to his troops during the break, they came
out with all guns blazing.
In the first 90 seconds they had
three strikes at goal. The lively Neil Kane blasted a good
chance way over and then Anthony Hibbert forced a flying save by
Ben O'Connor before taking the resulting corner from which Ian
Simpson powered in a header for his first senior goal. In the
next 20 minutes Robins threatened to overrun Wick and could have
built an even bigger lead than 3-1. Kane capitalised on an error
by David Sharman and his cross went in via defender Ben Torode
and keeper O'Connor on 61 minutes before two minutes later a
mishit shot by Stuart Faith was turned in by left back Richard
Thompson. Apart from that, Thompson, Faith and Kane all went
close, with Kane particularly unlucky to see his header over
O'Connor from a hug up'n under go just the wrong side of a post.
Slowly Wick rallied but really
only Murfin offered them any hope at all and they must have been
ready to concede defeat when referee Fran Meilack awarded a free
kick on the edge of the box for handball against Sol Bowra,
whose error of judgement two minutes earlier had led to Murfin
rattling the crossbar. This time the little man drove the ball
in low and in off Jack Simpson's righthand post to throw his
team a lifeline. When it was
a case of deja vu two minutes later the super cool Julian Curnow
converted the spot kick to leave Hassocks fans disappointed but
still immensely heartened.
Hassocks: J Simpson; Kublickas,
Marsh, Bowra, I Simpson. Thompson; Slaughter, Faith, Hibbert;
Kane, Robinson.
Subs: Buckett, Williams, Walsh,
Miles, Gander (none used).
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