Keymer & Hassocks Football Club. Playing Football in Hassocks at Adastra Park since 2003

K & H exited the Junior Charity Cup in most unsatisfactory fashion as they went down 3-1 to an ordinary Maresfield outfit

Early impressions on arriving at the ground were perfectly pleasant-nice little tea bar, chairs put out for the old folks and infirm to enjoy the spectacle-but it turned out to be more like a visit to the twilight zone

Affter the game kicked off K & H soon felt their ball players were coming in for some harsh treatment which knocked them out of their usual style of play and although many free kicks were awarded no cautions were issued which might just have changed the mood of the game

Maresfield went ahead when a defensive mix-up let them in for a good finish-K & H replied when Danny Mills fired home from close range after the keeper (who had a fine game throughout) had parried Stuart Thompson's shot

Then to the event that probably sealed the game-what looked like a perfectly good save at full stretch under pressure by keeper Craig Jackson was adjudged a foul and a penalty was awarded-the ref then embarrassingly held up play while he tried to explain his bizarre ruling to the keeper who understandably displayed his interest with a look of complete contempt

Free kicks continued to mount up on both sides after the restart as K & H tried to get back into it but their heads were clearly down.Maresfield defended well and looked to hit K & H on the break which they did with another good finish to go 3-1 up and almost certainly end the contest.However the ref had one more delight up his sleeve when he ruled out a perfectly good Stuart Thompson effort for offside-It seems the lino put his flag up but quickly put it down realising his mistake but to no avail

Back in the real world and on reflection-- a surreal experience where the sad perception persists there is no way K & H were ever going to be allowed to get anything from the game

Good luck to Maresfield in the next round our main consolation we don't have to go back there (hopefully) ever again