When Hassocks first approached Dave John about taking over as General Manager in the summer of 1991, he had a few demands that had to be met before he agreed to taking up the post.
The first was that he was allowed to structure the football club as he saw fit, which meant him supplying the players and Pete Liddell and Nick Greenwood managing the team.
The second was that if the club could win promotion out of the bottom tier of the Southern Combination League, every effort would be made to get the new ground being built at the Beacon ready to host senior football.
The third was that the Robins set up a youth team to provide a supply line for young players to come through and play first team football for the club.
It was the final one of those demands that has had the greatest legacy on Hassocks, with Toby Fisher recently becoming the 100th youth team product to play first team football for the club 27 years after the first Under 18s side was set up.
That averages out at over three youth team players per season making the step up to play first team football, an astonishing figure that is testament to the talent that the Robins Under 18s sides have managed to attract down the years and subsequent first team managers willingness to give them the sort of opportunities that don’t exist at other clubs.
There have been 6585 appearances made for the first team by youth team products since 1991 with 866 goals scored.
By far and away the most successful youth team product in terms of playing games for Hassocks is Ashley Marsh who racked up 525 games for the club between 2004 and 2018.
Anthony Hibbert made 462 appearances scoring a remarkable 124 goals from midfield while goalkeeper Joel Harding is third on the home-grown product list having played 340 times for the Robins.
Both Hibbert and Harding were part of the only Hassocks Youth team to have won the prestigious Sussex County Challenge Cup, part of a treble with the Southern Combination League Under 18 Central Division title and the Champions of Champions Play Off.
Fourth on the list is Richard Thompson with 324 appearances followed by Stuart Faith on 289 and Spencer Slaughter on 282, the highest player still playing for the Robins and the only member of the 2005-06 title winning Under 18 side to make over 100 appearances for the club.
Seventh is Nathan Miles on 211 who is the highest placing player from the youth team that lifted the League Cup in 2008, with Phil Johnson and Nick Pitcher the other two players from that year to pass a century of appearance.
Eighth is another player still plying his trade at the Beacon in Dan Jacques on 205, ninth is Pat Harding on 195 and rounding off the top 10, Marc Rendall on 183.
In terms of goals, it will come as no surprise to learn that Pat Harding and Hibbert are some way clear of the rest of the pack, Harding having managed a total of 131 which is seven more than Hibbert scored.
Miles’ 74 goals leave him third on the top scoring youth products list and if Johnson keeps banging them in this season, he will be making steady progress up the charts having plundered 59 so far in Hassocks colours while Slaughter rounds off the top five with 45.
In terms of going onto bigger and better things away from the Beacon, the two biggest success stories must be Pat Harding and Sam Fisk who both went onto play Conference National football with Eastbourne Borough and Lewes respectively.
Eddie French meanwhile captained Sussex Under 18s while representing the Robins and was part of the Horsham side who famously took League One Swansea City to an FA Cup replay in the 2007-08 season.
Of the 100 players to have come through the youth system, several have gone onto captain the Robins for significant periods of time.
Marsh was appointed club captain for the 2008-09 season and held the role at various points over the next decade while Faith led Hassocks to their best ever finish of fourth in the 2011-12 season.
Slaughter, both Harding brothers and Nathan Cooper have also worn the armband at various points over the previous 21 years.
In terms of Hassocks’ most successful ever youth side, last season’s treble winners have supplied seven first team players with Jake Lindsey leading the way with 37 career appearances and nine goals so far.
Finally, one youth team product has gone on to do virtually every job going at the Beacon – we’re of course referring to Phil Wickwar who has come through the ranks, managed the thirds, the reserves, the first team, stood behind the bar, mowed the pitch and even dressed as Justin Hawkins’ to perform “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” in front of a packed Clubhouse.
Not many have done that.
Hassocks Youth Team Products Appearances Top 20
525 – Ashley Marsh
462 – Anthony Hibbert
340 – Joel Harding
324 – Richard Thompson
289 – Stuart Faith
282 – Spencer Slaughter
211 – Nathan Miles
205 – Dan Jacques
195 – Pat Harding
183 – Marc Rendall
165 – Graham Beveridge
161 – Jack Simpson
146 – Luke Flomo
136 – Ian Dawson
133 – Andy Burt
132 – Phil Johnson
130 – Nick Pitcher
126 – Steve Wilkins
124 – Dan Stokes
104 – Sam Fisk
Hassocks Youth Team Products Goals Top 10
131 – Pat Harding
124 – Anthony Hibbert
74 – Nathan Miles
59 – Phil Johnson
45 – Spencer Slaughter
38 – Matt Amos
37 – Marc Rendall
35 – Andy Burt
31 – Luke Flomo
24 – Liam Benson
