East Preston knocked off top spot by Peacehaven

Having not played a game since November 13, it was always going to be a tough challenge against a Hassocks side that had won two out of two in that time.

After a quiet opening hour where chances were few and far between, two goals in the space of three minutes from Philip Gault put the visitors in control.

The hosts struggled to create chances and it came as no surprise when Elliott Butler wrapped up the points for Hassocks seven minutes from time.

East Preston boss Dominic Di Paola said: “We’ve gone two-and-a-half weeks without a game because of the weather, which didn’t help preparations.

“You could see we were tiring and they scored at the perfect time. We were running out of gas and it showed in the latter stages, they were fitter than us and capitalised.

“Hassocks are a very good team, who will be up there anyway and the lack of match sharpness made it even tougher. I would have preferred an easier game after the time out, if I’m being honest.

“I don’t think we did enough in the final third. We had a lot of possession around their box but we just weren’t creating chances. Again, that could be down to the time without a game.”

Peacehaven’s 3-1 win over Chichester sent them to the top of the league, with East Preston and Rye United a point behind.

EP’s Sussex RUR Cup tie at home to Dorking Wanderers was postponed just an hour-and-a-half before kick-off on Tuesday evening owing to a waterlogged pitch.