It was a tight fought race for the second Hassocks Player of the Month vote of the season, but midfield stalwart Spencer Slaughter did jut enough to hold off the challenge of Phil Johnson to take September’s award.
Slaughter polled 38% which was just 7% more than the Robins’ top scorer Johnson managed. Third place went to James Littlejohn with 19%.
“Life in the old dog yet,” was how Slaughter reacted when told the news and indeed this was arguably Slaughter’s best month in a Hassocks shirt since his return to the Beacon a few weeks into the 2015-16 season after spells with Burgess Hill Town and Haywards Heath Town.
Slaughter missed the 2-0 FA Vase defeat to K Sports which kicked off September but he was instantly restored to the starting line up for the visit of Bexhill United in the Peter Bentley League Cup three days later, a game in which Hassocks came from 2-0 behind at the break to win 3-2.
That started a mini unbeaten run of five games with Slaughter scoring in two of those. He rounded off a flowing counter attacking move with a tap in in the 4-0 win away at Loxwood.
Two games later and he started and ended the third and final Hassocks goal in the 3-0 win over Eastbourne United Association, winning possession in midfield before finding Dan Stokes out wide who sent in a pinpoint cross which Liam Benson laid back to Slaughter to slot home.
His virtuoso performance in that victory over United was one of two man of the match awards Slaughter picked up in September, the other coming a week later in the 2-2 draw against Langney Wanderers in which his free kick teed up Jordan Badger for the Robins late equaliser.
On another month, Johnson’s haul of four goals from six starts might have been enough to win the prize but as it was, he had to settle for second place.
Just like Slaughter, Johnson won two man of the match votes for his performances in the Bexhill victory and the win away at Loxwood in which he captained the Robins for the first time.
The striker scored in both of those games, notching a brace in the success at Plaistow Road with his other goal coming in the draw against Langney.
This was Johnson’s second appearance in the top three without winning this season. He finished in third place behind Jack Wilkins and Harvey Blake for the August award.
Littlejohn rounded off the top three, an impression showing for his first month as a regular first team player. The forward made his first appearance of the season and only his second for the club from the substitutes bench in the Vase game with K Sports.
Mark Dalgleish handed him a start three days later and he rewarded that decision with his first senior goal against Bexhill, going onto make three further starts and one appearance from the bench over the course of the month.
Littlejohn has been in sparkling form for Nigel Pearce’s table topping Under 23 side as well, plundering four goals from three games in September to take his tally for the season onto eight in five appearances.
