Haywards Heath Town and Hassocks set for SCFL play-off d-day … Burgess Hill Town want to end winless run

Their near neighbours Hassocks are favourites to clinch fifth place in the Southern Combination premier division and a promotion play-off semi-final versus the runners-up.

Hassocks are three points ahead of Heath so a point will clinch fifth for them, although they have a tough test at home to second-placed Newhaven, while Heath visit Peacehaven & Telscombe.

For Heath, gaining a play-off place would go a long way to banishing the memory of defeat at the end of an amazing penalty shootout that settled last Saturday’s RUR Cup final against Horsham YMCA.

Rouane said they’d approach Saturday’s game like all others – with a clear strategy and a determination to win.

And he said the club was already planning for next season, even before knowing whether they’d again be in the SCFL premier or back in the Isthmian south east for a second straight season.

Rouane said: “We’re always incredibly confident in any fixture we go into. Our strategy and style of play is clear. We aim to be dominant and make it about us.

"Recent displays have shown we need to be more ruthless in the final third and that’s what we’ll aim to be.

"All we can do on Saturday is go out and do our best to win, then see what happens elsewhere.”

Heath have been on the fringes of the play-off race for most of Rouane’s six months as manager but lately have lacked the consistency to catch up with James Westlake’s Hassocks side and the other teams in the top five.

And the Blues’ recent wastefulness in front of goal cost them dear in Saturday’s RUR Cup final, which YMCA won 12-11 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, Darius Goldsmith the Heath scorer.

Rouane said: “It shouldn’t have gone to penalties. We were dominant from start to finish but missed some gilt-edged opportunities, which has become a pattern in recent games.

"We were missing some key forward players through them being injured or cup-tied but we should have put it to bed. But congratulations to Horsham YMCA – it was their night.”

BURGESS HILL TOWN

Burgess Hill Town will look to end an up-and-down Isthmian League season on a high note when they host lowly Beckenham on Saturday.

Since winning 5-1 at East Grinstead Town in March, the Hillians have taken just two points from six south east division games, which has left them in 14th place going into the final fixture.

Although they’ve never been in any danger of relegation – which they were at this time last year – it’s been a disappointing run and they’ll know that had things gone better in the past few weeks, they could have been looking at a top-half finish.

That gives Gary Mansell’s team all the more reason to send the Leylands Park faithful off for the summer with a win to celebrate on Saturday.

The match will be followed by their presentation evening in the clubhouse.

Last Saturday Hill lost 4-1 at Littlehampton Town – a result that ensured their Sussex rivals will be playing in the same division again in 2024-25.

A poor start meant the Hillians were 3-0 down in the first 13 minutes.

The Golds took just two minutes to open the scoring when Dion Jarvis headed home a corner. It was quickly two as Nodirbek Bobomurodov tapped home.

Two became three as Golds player joint manager George Gaskin was played clean through and thumped a finish past Fin Holter.

The hosts wrapped up victory on 87 minutes with a fourth tapped home by ex-Hillian Josh Short. An own goal gave Hill a consolation.