Hassocks

This was the first game following our good win on the road at Eastbourne Town as matches at AFC Varndeanians and hosting Horsham YMCA fell victim to the rain. A tough game was in prospect as Hassocks were second only on goal difference at kick-off and had won four games in a row before being held to a draw by struggling Bexhill United last time out. A gritty team performance that would have made some onlookers wonder if Hassocks were really in second place as we kept their chances to a minimum and took one of our own to get an excellent 1-0 win. This performance made up for one of our worst of the season when we lost 1-4 at Hassocks.

Within the first minute we won a free kick midway in the Hassocks half out on the right. Haydn Dickinson delivered the ball into the box and George Branton got his head on it but it drifted wide of the left hand post. Four minutes in, Tyrone Magala-Bryan was given space in the middle of their half and had a shot that was off-target. Jay Simpson worked his way into the box from the right on 7mins but the ball was cleared. There followed lots of honest endeavour but clear chances were absent until on 28mins Hassocks worked space on the left and had a shot that went over the bar. The best chance of the match so far came on 34mins when Hassocks had a shot from distance that drew a save from Jack Webb-Olley as he pushed it round the post. The heavy pitch made it hard to play good possession football as it was easy to lose your footing. Given the heavy rain earlier in the week, and the resulting puddles, we were lucky that the pitch had drained so we could have a match. Half-time came and it remained goalless.

Hassocks had the first chance of the second half with a shot wide of the left hand post in the first minute. On 52mins Dickinson worked the ball across to the left for Stephen Hodge to break into the box. With space to shoot, Hodge could not keep his shot down and it went over the bar. Shortly after, Hassocks had a shot at goal that was straight at Webb-Olley. On 63mins it was time for the first change as Toby Hill was replaced by Jamal Robinson-Davis. Chances were still rare but Hassocks came close with a long shot from the right that looked to catch Webb-Olley out but it went across the face of goal and behind. A second change on 68mins brought a debut for Louis Reid Newth on loan from Glebe FC as he replaced George Branton.

A minute later Robinson-Davis took possession on half-way and drove down the right to the edge of the box. He played the ball across to Dickinson on the left. He laid the ball off to Simpson who tucked it in the bottom corner and it was 1-0 to The Lingers. On 72mins Hassocks had a free kick from the left side of the box after Hodge was harshly penalised. While appearing to set for a curling shot the ball was crossed to the right but easily cleared. Louis Gates was replaced by Toby Allen as we entered the last fifteen minutes. It looked like it could be game over just after the substitution as Robinson-Davis was clear and into the box on the right but could not get a clean contact on the ball at the vital moment and it went behind. On 81mins a corner for Hassocks arrived in the box and the ball bounced around between a few players before it was finally cleared. A final change saw Dennis Asante replaced by Ashley Aderemi for his first appearance in the league with five minutes remaining. The lads were working hard to keep the lead and this spirit was epitomised by a crunching tackle by Dickinson in the D to clear the ball.

Four minutes of added time had started when Hassocks had a corner from the right. This was put behind for another corner, this time from the left. The ball fell to a Hassocks player in the box, who shinned it forward to a teammate, who hooked it towards goal but Webb-Olley saved on the line. A final chance for us a minute later as Reid Newth combined with Aderemi across the box but his shot from the right went over. There was relief and joy as the final whistle blew to give us a second win consecutive win as well as a clean sheet.

Having slipped down the table recently The Lingers are now back up to 11th just a point behind Little Common with a game in hand and a much better goal difference. If we can get something from our rescheduled trip to Shoreham on Saturday we can move up into the top half of the table. Congratulations to Luke Richardson for his Man of the Match performance in defence, not only making a string of good tackles but also bringing the ball out of defence with some good ball skills.