Haywards Heath Town and Hassocks still in running for SCFL play-off spots

A 1-0 win at Little Common on Saturday kept them sixth and in contention for a top-five finish which would put them in the play-offs, with a chance of promotion back to step four after a year away.

On Tuesday they hosted promotion rivals Newhaven but lost 1-0 – leaving them three points behind Hassocks and Crowborough, in fourth and fifth. Heath and Hassocks have two games left, the Crows four.

At Little Common, Cameron Dobell returned from injury and Heath soon showed their quality in the opening stages, with Hayden Skerry and Tom Cadman both forcing important stops.

It was all Heath in the first half, Lewis Finney found the end of a Darius Goldsmith cross to the back post, and the midfielder lunged to guide the ball towards goal but his effort could only find the outside of the post.

The half ended goalless, with Mitch Bromage untested but Heath’s fortunes changed in the second half.

The goal came when Skerry ran and sent the ball across the face of goal and it was helped on by Dobell to Emmanuel Abudiore, who hit it into the bottom corner.

Heath host AFC Varndeanians on Saturday.

In the Isthmian south east division, Burgess Hill are 13th after being beaten 5-0 away to leaders Cray Valley PM. Saturday brings a home clash with Broadbridge Heath.

Hassocks 5-0 Bexhill

by Scott McCarthy

Five goals scored, none conceded, a new Hassocks club record for most points in a Southern Combination League Premier Division season and still firmly in the promotion picture. This 5-0 thrashing of Bexhill United at the Beacon was the perfect way to bounce back from Easter Monday’s Mid Sussex Derby defeat to Haywards Heath Town, even if the Robins’ playoff fate now relies on others dropping points.

That is not out of the question, of course. Bexhill offered a very real reminder, having become only the third team to defeat title chasing Newhaven when picking up a shock 2-1 win at the Trafalgar Ground seven days earlier. Hassocks therefore knew that despite the visitors sitting a lowly 17th in the table, this game had potential banana skin written in all over it.

The manner in which James Westlake’s side controlled proceedings and ruthlessly sunk the Pirates to move onto that record-breaking figure of 75 points was impressive. It required patience initially, the deadlock not being broken until the 33rd minute. After that, the goals flowed regularly and were shared between five different scorers.

Sean Stephenson and Jack Troak put early efforts straight into the hands of Bexhill goalkeeper Alex Hobden before Pat Harding fired Hassocks ahead. A throw from Stephenson was worked between Jamie Wilkes and Harvey Blake, the latter of whom clipped down the line for Faris Khalloqui to cross.

When a clever dummy from Troak then allowed the ball into the feet of Harding, Super Pat took a touch before finishing on the turn for his 14th goal of the season. Two minutes later and the lead was doubled. Micael Fatela started the move on what was an impressive full debut from the young midfielder, who recently returned to the Beacon after a spell picking up first team experience in Division One with Billingshurst.

Fatela, Wilkes and Matt Gunn linked up to release Joe Bull down the left flank. Bull crossed and after the attempted clearance of Bexhill defender Tom O’Shaughnessy clattered straight into Stephenson, the winger fired in the hole and picked out the bottom corner.

The Pirates walked the plank themselves when it came to the third Hassocks goal on 52 minutes, making two errors in the same passage of play. Tall striker Wilkes won possession with an excellent tackle but the Robins looked to have wasted that moment when giving the ball back to Bexhill’s Charlie Playford.

Mistake one came when Playford let it bounce over his foot. Khalloqui seized on the error, sweeping a pass right to instigate a footrace between Stephenson and O’Shaughnessy. The Bexhill left back got their first, only to play the ball straight to the advancing Blake for mistake two.

One pinpoint, first time cross from Blake later and Troak converted with a quite brilliant diving header. By now, the Pirates were all at sea. A look at the Hassocks bench would have given reason for Bexhill’s timbers to shiver further with Big Alex Fair, Alfie Loversidge, Leon Turner, Josh Mundy and Bradley Tighe all waiting in reserve.

Fair marked his return from injury in place of Harding by being involved in goal four on 68 minutes. Raging Bull delivered a vicious in-swinging corner and with the Pirates distracted by Fair’s run to the front post, the delivery evaded everyone on its way to bending it at the back post.

Credit to Fair for not claiming a touch and trying to pillage the goal for himself ahead of Bull; no parley was needed to decide who it should go to. Nine minutes later and Hassocks completed the rout from another corner.

This one was taken short between Fatela and Khalloqui. Hoben managed to keep Khalloqui’s subsequent low shot out, only for the loose ball to fall to the rangy Wilkes. Reacting like the absolute fox in the box he is, Wilkes slid home from close range to send the Pirates down to Davy Jones’ locker.

Hassocks: Trigwell; Blake, Gunn, D Turner, Bull; Stephenson, Fatela, Wilkes, Harding; Khalloqui; Troak. Subs: Fair, L Turner, Loversidge, Mundy, B Tighe (used).