Sussex Senior
Cup 1st Round
Tuesday
29th September 2009
CUP
EXIT A BLESSING IN DISGUISE?
Hassocks
2-3 East Preston
Just how Hassocks
failed to take Tuesday's Sussex Senior tie at
home to East Preston into extra time will
probably remain an unsolved mystery although
sceptics in the home camp might point to the
dubious reward for victory being a trip to
Westfield. Few
will probably shed too many tears over missing
that, while no doubt Division 2 East Preston
were grateful enough to bounce back after an 8-0
FA Cup exit to Conference South leaders Dover
Athletic three days earlier.
In truth, the
visitors looked like sailing through when they
went 3-1 up five minutes into the second half
but that was finally Robins' cue to start
playing. And from then on they created so many
chances that the visitors could again have been
staring down the barrel of a big defeat.
The speedy Neil
Kane could have had a hat-trick, Phil Gault was
twice denied by the same post within a minute
and even late sub James Laing could have had two
or three goals. But somehow you just knew it was
not going to be as EP keeper Maciek Jason,
despite not really looking the part, had an
inspired evening.
The visitors were
just about worth their 2-1 half-time lead,
especially after falling behind on eight minutes
when a good interchange between Gault and
Spencer Slaughter ended with Jason saving
Slaughter's shot but being powerless to stop
Gault scoring from the rebound. EP had a lively
front pairing in Jay Huet and Terry Dodd and it
was Huet whose speed exposed the back line to
leave them trailing at the break.
The equaliser on
26 minutes was well taken when the ball fell to
him from a rebound and 11 minutes later he
prospered when home keeper Joel Harding made an
error of judgement advancing way off his line.
When Dodd then got behind the home defence early
in the second half, it was the cue for an
immensely entertaining last 40 minutes when the
only surprise was that Hassocks managed to take
only one of their numerous chances.
That came when
Jason was guilty of the same wrong decision
making as Harding and Terry Gacias lobbed the
ball into an empty goal with aplomb. With more
than half hour remaining, there was plenty of
time left for revitalised Hassocks to repair the
damage.
Hassocks:
Harding; Bates, Faith, Marsh, Simpson,
Kublickas; Hibbert, Slaughter, Gacias; Gault,
Kane.
Subs: Bowra
(Simpson, 45), Laing (Kane, 78).
Starman: A few
candidates but it goes to Stuart Faith.
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