Young Robins crowned champions to make it a Hassocks clean sweep of titles

Hassocks completed a clean sweep of titles thanks to the Young Robins coming from behind to beat Shoreham 2-1 in their final league game of the season.

It was by no means a classic at the Edgar & Wood Stadium. Hassocks were far from their free flowing best which has seen them also win the County Cup and make it to the League Cup final, in which they will face Burgess Hill Town next Sunday.

But they managed to get the job done to land part two of a potential treble, adding yet another piece of silverware to chairman Pat Harding’s newly constructed trophy cabinet at the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground.

The Robins arrived on the south coast knowing victory would secure the championship. A draw would see them finish level on points with Montpelier Villa.

Goal difference is not used in Under 18s football and so that would have necessitated a one-off playoff between Hassocks and Villa to determine the title winners.

Shoreham were already guaranteed to finish fourth. That though did not mean they had nothing to play. Hassocks defeated the Musselmen in the County Cup semi final back in March.

The hosts were clearly up for gaining revenge, given the way in which they defended for their lives and tried to punish the Robins on the counter.

Understandably, Hassocks looked tense and nervous through the opening 45 minutes. Their final ball in and around the Shoreham box let them down, which also played into the counter attacking plan of the Musselmen.

Hassocks mustered only two real chances of note in the first half. Harry Hammond got one-on-one with the home goalkeeper before opting to cut a pass back towards Oscar Kemp.

Hammond made the correct decision and Kemp would have scored were it not for an unbelievable goal line block from a Shoreham defender.

Kemp also had the second Robins opportunity when putting a difficult header just over the bar from a Fletcher Fane corner.

Shoreham had looked a threat on the break and it proved their route to opening the scoring on the stroke of half time.

A long ball over the top caught the Hassocks defence out, allowing a Musselmen forward to race clear. The finish was delightful, lobbed over the head of Robins goalkeeper Theo Bradley to drop in at the far post.

Hassocks applied plenty of pressure at the start of the second half. Every bounce though seemed to go the way of Shoreham; and there were plenty of those on a bumpy, end-of-season surface.

The moment which summed that up best came when Olly Goswamy got away down the flank. His low cross into the box looked perfect for Kemp to convert until it hit a divot and bobbled away.

Hassocks changed shape just before the hour mark, sacrificing centre back George Adlington for striker Nye Sim and going two up top.

Shoreham were already doing everything possible by that point to slow the game down, resulting in the goalkeeper picking up a booking on the hour mark for time wasting.

Hassocks levelled not long after. Ethan Brasier glided past two defenders before squaring for Evan China to caress a shot into the bottom corner.

Sim fired a good one-on-one chance wide as the Robins now went all guns blazing for the goal which would win the game and the title.

Fittingly, it was Kemp who scored it with 13 minutes remaining. More enterprising wing play from Goswamy put an opportunity on a plate for Kemp front-and-centre from six yards out. The result was a 26th goal of the season for the Hassocks captain.

Shoreham were suddenly less keen to run the clock down. The franticness of the hosts was in marked contrast to the calmness Hassocks were now displaying in seeing out the game. And with it, the Robins’ first Under 18s title in seven years.