Long-running goalkeeper saga continues for Hassocks as they are beaten by Eastbourne Town

The Robins were on the end of a 6-2 defeat against Eastbourne Town, a scoreline not helped by further troubles befalling the man donning the number one jersey.

So far in the 2020-21 season, Hassocks have seen Dave Carruthers injure himself saving the decisive penalty in their FA Cup extra preliminary round shoot out win at Balham on his debut.

45-year-old Phil Wickwar deputised in the following game at Alfold, only to limp off with a pulled calf after an hour. Centre back Dan Turner took over for the closing stages of that 2-0 defeat.

A half-fit Carruthers returned for the next five games – not that you would know it given the string of fine performances he put in – with Hassocks sealing a deal last week to bring their one-time Under 18s goalkeeper Conor Evento back from Broadbridge Heath to ease the burden on Carruthers.

That was the theory, anyway. Evento’s Hassocks debut was just 20 minutes old at the Saffrons when he pulled his right thigh. The Robins had no substitute goalkeeper on the bench and so Evento carried on, completing the game on one leg.

He still managed to pull off a series of fine stops, doing enough to suggest that Hassocks are now well stocked in the goalkeeping department. They just need to find a way to avoid any more misfortune.

Evento was one of five changes that Dave John made from the previous week’s 3-0 FA Vase defeat at the hands of Peacehaven & Telscombe. The injured Louis Pittock was replaced by Will Broomfield, former Horsham and Billingshurst midfielder Jake Chadwick came in for his first start in place of the suspended George Brown and Charlie Pitcher and James Littlejohn took over up front from Joe Bull and Chris Neatherway, who dropped to the bench.

Hassocks were competitive for the opening 20 minutes. They defended well against a Town team who packed a real goal threat, even without former Haywards Heath Town striker Trevor McCreadie who had departed for Saltdean United the day before.

The Robins looked like they could cause problems at the other end too. Having Pitcher back in the side certainly helped, but Jack Troak and young Alfie Loversidge showed no fear in trying to take the game to their more experienced opponents. Both would be rewarded in the second half for their boldness.

It took until the 34th minute for Town to open the scoring, Bright Temba getting the party started for the hosts. Worryingly, that seemed to spark a Hassocks collapse and they conceded twice more before the break; three goals flying in during the final 11 minutes of the first half meaning that it was all but over by the time the players trudged off at the interval. Nathan Crabb added the second with 41 on the clock and Temba notched again in the first minute of time added on.

Those Hassocks fans of a glass-half-empty persuasion in the bumper crowd of 280 could have been forgiven for fearing the worst at that point – especially as nine months ago, Town had inflicted upon Hassocks their heaviest ever home defeat in senior football when winning 7-0 at the Beacon.

It never became that bad on this occasion. Sam Cole did add a fourth for Town on 57 before Loversidge had a moment to remember when notching his first senior goal with 15 minutes remaining.

Hassocks worked the chance well, breaking down the left with Loversidge producing a sublime effort with the outside of his right boot past Chris Winterton in the home goal. The finish was of the highest quality and a second man-of-the-match award in a row suggests that the Robins have unearthed another gem in the 17-year-old.

Town weren’t too happy about conceding and 10 minutes later, Hassocks repeated the trick to make it 4-2 when Troak scored his fourth of the campaign after embarking on a good run inside which was picked out by a neat pass from Bradley Bant.

Hassocks suddenly had belief that they might be on the cusp of the most incredible of comebacks. Sadly, it wasn’t to be and Town stepped it up a gear in injury time to add two more goals and some undeserved gloss to the score line through Dan Hull and Matt Rodrigues-Barbosa.

Hassocks: Evento; Gardner, Turner, Broomfield, Whittingham; Loversidge, Bant, Chadwick, Troak; Littlejohn, Pitcher.

Subs: Bull, Marshall, Short (used), Neatherway, Beebee (unused).