Unrecognisable Hassocks side through in FA Cup after penalty drama

Six months on from their 3-2 Southern Combination League Premier Division defeat to Lingfield, the Robins are almost unrecognisable from the team who lost at the Shooting Field that afternoon.

Dave John is back in the dugout for a third spell in charge with Brad Sweetman, Mark Enticknap and Phil Wickwar completing a new look management team.

There has been a startling turnover in players too. Plenty of new faces have arrived with several familiar ones returning, most notably the Robins’ record scorer Phil Gault after a spell in the Mid Sussex League and Bradley Bant, who has been appointed club captain after making the move back from Peacehaven & Telscombe.

Such revolution meant that it was difficult to know what to expect of the Robins as they travelled to Balham for their opening game of the campaign in the extra preliminary round of the FA Cup.

And yet for all the changes, it was a performance full of the traditional Hassocks qualities of fighting spirit and hard work which saw the Robins progress via a shoot out after a 2-2 draw.

There were just four survivors from that Lingfield defeat back on March 7th in John’s starting line up: Dan Turner, James Littlejohn, Harvey Enticknap and Jack Troak.

Andy Whittingham returned from long-term injury and Gault and Bant both started, as did fellow returnees George Brown and Charlie Pitcher.

The side was rounded off by two debutants; goalkeeper Dave Carruthers who made his name at Loxwood and former Newhaven right back Louis Pittock.

It did not take long for the new look Hassocks to hit their stride. Just four minutes had elapsed when the Robins took the lead, Jack Troak punishing a mistake from Balham right back Julian Fuller before picking out the near post run of James Littlejohn who slammed Troak’s low cross past Haydn Read.

That set the tone for a hugely entertaining encounter in which both sides looked desperate to put on a show for a healthy crowd at the Mayfield Stadium, Balham’s new home for 2020-21 after agreeing a groundshare agreement with AFC Croydon Athletic.

Tom Read had a glorious chance to equalise just four minutes after Littlejohn’s opener but he could only drag wide whilst in acres of space.

Balham did level things up on 18 when a powerful run down the right from James Adebayo was headed home from close range by Ashley Snadden.

Balham now had renewed enthusiasm and a beautiful bit of skill from Read nearly gave them the lead as he cut inside and bent one just wide of Carruthers’ upright.

There was not much beautiful about the goal which saw Hassocks take the lead two minutes before the interval, not that anyone from Mid Sussex was complaining.

Brown hit a long, direct clearance out of defence which Pitcher did well to flick onto Troak who, having read the situation perfectly, touched the ball inside of the defender and finished neatly to make it 2-1 to the visitors going into the break.

The goal was the least that Troak deserved for an enterprising performance in a much more advanced role than where he spent the second half of last season.

Balham came out determined to find a way back into the tie.

Carruthers had to make two fine flying saves to tip over identical free kicks fizzed in from out wide within 10 minutes of the restart.

Things got a little heated around the hour mark as tackles began flying in.

Enticknap in particular was on the receiving end of some rough treatment as he tricked and turned his way around the edge of the Balham box.

Enticknap’s footwork was a rare venture into the final third for Hassocks as Balham were very much in the ascendancy, the fresh legs of Bull replacing Pitcher doing little to break the home side’s dominance.

Still, the Robins looked like they were on course to weather the storm until six minutes from time when Balham were awarded an extremely dubious penalty.

Carruthers got a hand to Read’s spot kick, but he could not keep it out. With no extra time, that meant penalties would decide who would progress to face Isthmian League outfit Bedfont Sports in the next round of the competition.

Brown, substitute George Galbraith-Gibbons, Littlejohn, Bant and Troak converted to give Hassocks a perfect five and a superb save from the legs of Carruthers from Balham’s second kick saw the Robins through.

It was Hassocks’ first FA Cup win over a side from outside the Southern Combination League since 2010 and it earned a cool £1,200 in prize money - a particularly welcome cash injection given the lack of income over the past six months.

Hassocks: Carruthers; Pittock, Turner, Brown, Whittingham; Littlejohn, Enticknap, Bant, Troak; Gault, Pitcher.

Subs: Bull (Pitcher), Galbraith-Gibbons (Gault), Loversidge (Enticknap), O’Leary, Gardner, Broomfield (unused).