MATCH REPORTS - FIRST TEAM

Sussex County League Division 1
Saturday 13th October 2007
ROBINS GIVE SELSEY THE BLUES
Hassocks 2-0 Selsey

HASSOCKS boss Dave John denied he was considering playing himself up front as injuries and unavailability robbed him of nearly all his recognised strikers! Well, not actually but the situation was dire and Johnsy must have been grateful it was only lowly Selsey who were the visitors. Even his preferred option when short on strikers of playing midfielder Matt Robbins up front was denied him because of injury. In the end he brought in Mark Sheriff, earlier than the manager would have liked, for his first senior start of the season and asked the evergreen Mickey Turner to cast his memory back to when he was a front runner.

No doubt the home camp would have been delighted to settle for a 2-0 win at the outset but in the end it could have been much more comfortable. They made a dream start when Anthony Hibbert scored in the opening minute. With the keeper slightly off his line, Hibbert beat him from 25 yards to make it a goal in five consecutive matches for the young midfielder. Robins seemed to have increased the lead on 12 minutes when Turner crossed to the far post where Sheriff sent a free header back across goal and inches wide of the upright.

Turner then put an effort just wide before Selsey had a couple of good chances that John Bines and the feisty Clinton More failed to take. Despite seeing plenty of the ball, the visitors never looked like hurting a solid home back line and it was 2-0 on 27 minutes when Sam Fisk caught Rob Brown trying to shield the ball out of play and Turner got on to it and nicked it past keeper Ryan Chard from the angle. After that Stuart Faith had a couple of good shooting opportunities for Hassocks, hitting the first straight at Chard and then putting the next just wide.

In the first eight minutes of the second half any faint hopes Selsey may still have cherished should have been well and truly snuffed out. First, three minutes in, Sheriff’s trademark dummy left Turner racing clear and he rounded Chard only to put his angled finish wide of a gaping goal. Johnsy said moments before it would be missed but must have been sorry to be proved right. Then five minutes later Selsey skipper Alun Morey was late with his challenge on Turner but Chard saved superbly to his right from Hibbert’s penalty.

In the closing minutes Turner was closer but it still wasn’t quite good enough when played through by Sheriff. This time he hit the angle when looking set to score. In between time, Morey went close with a header from Daren Pearce’s free kick and home keeper Joel Harding saved well with his legs from Brown. In the end 2-0 suited Hassocks just fine and it was a credit to their two-man Hobbit-like attack who had a combined age of 71. Had Johnsy played he would increased that number but not done much to raise the average height! 

Hassocks: Harding, Fisk, Marsh, Lear, Leahy Thompson; Slaughter, Hibbert, Faith; Sheriff, Turner

Subs: Stripp, Bates, Miles, Wickwar (none used)

Man of the Match: Spencer Slaughter had a good first half but it just goes to Mickey Turner for stepping into the break with skill and enthusiasm

Report courtesy of Chris Francis, Mid Sussex Times