FA Vase Round 2: Tunbridge Wells vs. Hassocks
Following a comfortable 3-1 win over Pagham in the previous round, Steve Sharman’s journey through the FA Vase takes him back to Kent, where Tunbridge Wells are again at home – this time against Sussex side Hassocks.
All photographs in this article are the property and copyright of Steve Sharman and Sasha Hartman.
Here I go Again…
The 2nd round of the FA Vase takes place in early November and there’s no denying that winter is coming. The Halloween spirits have been chased away, the bonfire night fireworks have faded into the darkness, and the plummeting temperatures mean for this one, I’ll have to bring out my big coat and a bobble hat.
The increasingly familiar trundle down the A12, M25, and A21 is actually a pleasant drive this Saturday lunchtime. The countryside landscapes out my window conjure the relaxing, peaceful autumnal tones of a Constable painting. However, external serenity is jarringly juxtaposed against the chaos inside my car of a high-octane, appropriately named big-hair balls-out playlist that is belting out Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Van Halen, and other such bare-chested, leather pants-clad rock-n-roll stars who seem to be trying to make my ears bleed.
From the Terraces
Since our last visit to the Culverden Stadium – the ultimately comfortable 3-1 victory against Pagham – Tunbridge Wells have played just two league games, with contrasting results. A 0-2 reverse at home to Whitstable Town was followed by a comprehensive 4-1 victory at Hollands and Blair which leaves the men in red eleventh in the table, with five victories and seven defeats from fifteen league games.
Such inconsistency in the league belies the growing confidence around the town and the club for the FA Vase run. We spoke to former Tunbridge Wells player Richard Tucker, who played for the club for over ten years as a centre-back and is now at the ground as a fan, and fellow supporter Clive, who has been watching Tunbridge Wells for over fifty years.
Both men are keen to stress how the club has a good relationship with the Vase and can provide a welcome distraction from off-field issues that affect league performance. They see the club as something of a sleeping giant – a prospect with huge potential, given the right set of off-field circumstances and decisions made with the club’s best interests at heart.
Currently, that is not always the case. Richard indicates that the main barrier to serious investment is the ground, Tunbridge Wells FC does not own the Culverden Stadium. Instead, the club leases the ground from the local council and are only afforded a short-term lease. Clive suggests, and Richard nods his agreement, that the land occupied by the stadium would be an extremely attractive proposition for developers, hence the council’s reluctance to allow the club to commit for a significant amount of time. This, in turn, makes the club a much less attractive proposition for potential investors, both short and long-term.
When asked about the prospects of the current team for this season, both men give the same slight grimace. They acknowledge the team’s form is patchy and admit they are probably a couple of players short of being able to launch a serious bid for promotion. Again, Richard highlights that it’s the lack of investment – not just the stadium, but on the pitch too – that is holding the club back. Both men note the impact of the clubhouse fire but concede that whilst it was an unavoidable catastrophe, recovery has been slow – slower than perhaps it should have been.
Through somewhat gritted teeth, Richard jerks his thumb to the north and admits that former Kent league rivals Tonbridge Angels (now of the National League South) have progressed in the way that Wells should have done, particularly in light of the run to the Vase final in 2013. At this juncture, Clive takes over to lament the missed opportunity around previous Vase success and animatedly points out how the club failed to build on that run to Wembley both on the playing side and in terms of off-field development, and attracting fans to regular home games.
Excitement gripped the town during the 2013 run; the club opened two temporary shops around the town, reportedly sold 2600 tickets for the final within 24 hours of them going on sale, and took an estimated 12,000 fans to the Wembley showpiece – despite an average home attendance of less than 150. Clive wonders out loud what happened to the additional income generated by the run to the final. However, he is adamant that due to the special relationship the club has with the Vase, they can make it to the final again this year.
As much as I admire Clive’s ambition, it’s unclear if he is talking with his head or his heart.
A Tough Test
Standing in the way of Tunbridge Wells’ march to Wembley today are Hassocks. Nestled in the South Downs just a few miles north of Brighton, Hassocks is a small village that grew with the development of the London to Brighton railway line. Founded over 120 years ago in 1902, Hassocks – nicknamed The Robins – play their home games at The Beacon and are currently members of the Southern Combination Football League Premier Division.
The men from Sussex graduated to senior football in 1981-82 when they moved to Division Two of the Sussex County League. The Robins dropped to Division Three in 1987-88 but soon returned to Division Two, and then secured promotion to Division One in 1994-95. Hassocks have stayed in Division One – since changed to the Southern Combination Premier Division – ever since, with a best finish of 4th in 2011-12. Their thirty-year stint makes them the current longest-serving members of the division. Prior to kick-off, they sit second in the league, just behind rivals Haywards Heath so they should provide a stern test for Tunbridge Wells this afternoon.
The current club president is Dave John, a true Hassocks legend in every sense of the word. John joined Hassocks over 30 years ago, initially as general manager. He has overseen the development of the club on and off the pitch and has fulfilled almost every role at the club, including until recently as club chairman, where he is succeeded by Pat Harding, son of the late Chelsea director Matthew Harding.
John has had multiple spells in charge of the first team, however, his lasting legacy is the implementation of a thriving youth system that has provided a pathway to first-team football for over one hundred young players. John has had spells as manager of the U’18s and the U’23s, and by a quirk of coincidence, has been my manager before – I had a season in the Hassocks youth set up around the 1999–00 season, which seems a long time ago now!
Hassocks’ FA Vase history
Today’s second-round tie equals Hassocks’ best performance in the FA Vase, a feat they have achieved on four previous occasions. The first came in the 1998-99 season where The Robins beat Kintbury Rangers 3-2 and Ware 3-0 before falling to a 2-1 defeat at Banstead Athletic. Prior to this season, the most recent trip to the second round came in the 2014-15 season, following a 2-1 home victory against Broadbridge Heath and a 3-1 win against Corinthian. Sadly the run came to a shuddering halt, with a heavy 7-0 defeat against Ashford United.
This season, Hassocks entered at the first qualifying round and were drawn at home against Storrington Community FC, a tie the Robins eased through 6-0. The second qualifying round saw a close-fought 2-1 victory at Horley Town, followed by a trip to Camberley Town in the 1st Round Proper, a tie Hassocks won 2-0.
Tunbridge Wells and Hassocks have never faced each other in a competitive game before, so today’s tie not only offers the team from Sussex the opportunity to extend this to be their best-ever run in the Vase but also pits these two teams against each other for the first time in their history.
On the Pitch
Around the ground, it’s noticeably busier today. For the first time on this adventure, I can’t park in the car park so I need to find a space a few streets away. There is more foot traffic than usual heading to the ground, and even quite a big queue to get in! Kick-off has been moved to 2 pm – something I only saw by chance online following a late Friday afternoon announcement – reportedly to accommodate one dodgy floodlight.
The match is played on the day before Remembrance Sunday and as such, kick-off is preceded by a version of The Last Post, played emotively on a bugle. Whatever your view on the current Government and the UK’s involvement in ongoing conflicts around the globe – the fanfare allows a poignant moment of reflection for those no longer with us.
Tunbridge Wells line up in their familiar all-red strip, Hassocks are all in blue. The pitch is heavy and in places uneven, making flowing football somewhat difficult. Hassocks have first sight of goal early on, a direct free-kick within shooting distance that is blazed high over the bar – a portent of things to come. Similar to the previous round, the away side are marginally on top but as the half wears on, Wells come back into it and have their first effort on target around the half-hour mark.
Half-time comes with the sides still locked at 0-0.
The home side start the second period strongly and on the hour miss a golden, headed chance to take the lead, followed shortly by having a goal chalked off for offside. Buoyed by the let-off, a smart move down the right frees Hassocks winger Alfie Loversidge who pulls the ball back for striker Jamie Wilkes to slot home and the visitors take the lead from the best move of the game.
The minutes tick by and it looks increasingly like Wilkes’ strike will be enough to put the visitors into the third round for the first time in their history. Wells, however, have not given up. With five minutes left on the clock, Hassocks fail to deal with a corner and from the ensuing scramble, the ball is bundled over the line by Ryan Hine to bring the home side level. There’s still time for Tunbridge Wells to fashion one more opportunity in stoppage time, and a terrible miss means the final whistle blows with the scores level, so in the fading light, we head for penalties.
Wells take the first spot-kick and score to take the shootout advantage and then Hassocks defender Liam Hendy hands the initiative to the home side by smashing his penalty over the bar. Wells score again to go 2-0 up and Hassocks’ Dan Turner responds this time by belting his penalty into the car park. The home side miss their third giving Hassocks a lifeline but Alex Fair, quite remarkably, sends a third penalty over the bar allowing Tunbridge Wells to score their fourth to complete a 3-0 shootout victory.
The Next Round
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a bruising penalty shootout; for three Hassocks penalty takers to all send their efforts high over the crossbar was really quite remarkable. Keeper George Bentley was inevitably the hero, but in all honesty, he could have sat against the goalpost with his feet up and a pint in hand, for all that his skills were required!
And so, having overcome Glebe, Pagham, and now Hassocks, it is Tunbridge Wells who go into the draw for the third round – and are drawn at home again! The next visitors to the Culverden Stadium will again come from Sussex, this time in the shape of Crawley Down Gatwick. The Anvils are currently in uncharted FA Vase waters – their current run is the furthest they have ever gone in the competition. This sequence of ties has done little for my groundhopping, but the excitement is building as we now look towards Round Three, a match that will see the visitors seek to soar into the fourth round, whilst Tunbridge Wells will continue their own quest for Wembley glory.
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