Hassocks turned in a woeful performance to exit this season's FA Cup 1-0 to Shoreham and cap a bad week for the Robins, writes Paul Elphick.
They had to switch this game to Lancing as heavy midweek rain opened up drainage slits on the surface of the Beacon pitch, leaving it unplayable.
And if that was not disappointing enough after spending £36,000 on drainage work in the summer, Hassock
s ended this defeat with 10 men after Ali Russell was shown a straight red for allegedly stamping on Owen Callaghan.
With Peter Lear unavailable, Phil Fitzgerald made his Hassocks debut as Spencer Slaughter was again used as a striker alongside Russell.
It was a dour affair, with goalmouth action at a premium between two teams who drew both matches last season. Hassocks were not at the races and the sharpness of passing and attacking qualities shown at Hailsham earlier in the week were sadly lacking as they failed to trouble Shoreham keeper Michael Hunter all match.
The only goal came on 20 minutes when Dean Smith flicked on a clearance and Neil Kane outpaced the Robins defence before coolly slotting the ball past Paul Williams.
It was a bitterly disappointing performance and result for Hassocks, who missed the chance of a £750 win bonus and more importantly, a home tie against Kingstonian in the next round.
Full report in this week's Mid Sussex Times.
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