Extremely useful away point for Hassocks at East Grinstead

What was more impressive was the fact it was achieved without the County League’s top goalscorer Phil Gault, sidelined by the ankle complaint he picked up in the weekends 6-1 demolition of Hailsham Town, as well as centre backs Ashley Marsh and Nick Pitcher.

That meant a first start for youth team striker Jake Booth – one of five of Nigel Pearce’s table topping under 18 side to feature on the night - while Alex Gathern and the evergreen Stuart Faith continued to deputise in the absence of Mickey Jewell’s first choice defensive partnership.

The Wasps were understandably on a high after their victory at the Lashmar but it was Hassocks who had the first real chance of the game on two minutes, Phil Johnson heading straight at Mark Fox in the home goal after Kieran O’Callaghan flicked on a long throw.

Kieran Pamment gave the home side the lead with just over a quarter of an hour played when he was played in down the right, cut inside onto his left foot and finished with aplomb into the bottom corner of the Robins goal.

The game ebbed and flowed from that point on with neither side really creating a clear cut opportunity until the enigmatic Price put his stamp on proceedings with an opportunistic leveller, lobbing in from a full 35 yards over the stranded Fox who had got himself into a right mess after coming a long way to punch clear a Gathern free-kick.

Most of the ground thought Pamment had restored EG’s lead on the hour mark but that was reckoning without the inspired Max Collins who produced a spellbinding full length save to keep out the former St Francis mans far post header and keep the Robins in the game.

Just two minutes after that, Booth nearly had his first senior goal for the club but Fox blocked a volley from point blank range from Aaron Czech’s delicious cross.

The home side pushed for a winner as the game became stretched but Collins and his defence stood firm and his side even forged two golden opportunities to claim the three points for themselves in the final moments.

Firstly Price went through one-on-one but was denied by Fox and then from the resulting corner, Nathan Cooper saw his header cleared off the line.

Hassocks: Collins; South, Gathern, Faith, Davess; Johnson, N Cooper, O’Callaghan, Price, Czech; Booth.

Subs: Stokes (O’Callaghan 61), Jacques (Booth 75), G Brown (Czech 76), O’Brien (unused).

Starman: Mark Price’s industry and work rate pushed him close, but it has to go to Max Collins who marshalled his backline well, showed exemplary handling and made one outstanding save.