JONNO BACK WITH A BANG AS ROBINS OUTCLASS OAKWOOD
There’s ways to announce your return from injury, and then there’s what Phil Johnson did on his first start since breaking his leg nearly four months ago.
Hassocks’ club captain helped himself to a sensational hat-trick on his comeback in the Under 23s 5-1 victory over Oakwood, making this a very good night for the Robins on their first visit to Tinsley Lane since 2008.
It was a classic Johnson performance. He was unplayable almost from the start, his treble showing that he’s lost none of the pace and prowess that has made him one of the most feared forwards in the Southern Combination League over the past few seasons.
Mark Dalgleish will have been buoyed by what he saw. The first team are marooned in the bottom three currently having won just two Premier Division games all season, but with Johnson fit and fighting they’ll have every chance of hauling themselves out of the relegation zone over the coming weeks and months.
Dave John’s Under 23s had only won twice in the league themselves coming into this, although their cup form has been hugely impressive.
They’ve knocked out Isthmian League side Three Bridges and West Division leaders Horsham YMCA from the Sussex Under 23 Challenge Cup in the past six weeks and if they could bring those sort of performances into the bread and butter of league competition, then they too would surely start climbing the table.
And while it was Johnson’s return and goals that took most of the headlines, this was an excellent performance from the other 14 players that John called upon.
Johnson wasn’t the only first team player making a comeback from injury either. Hassocks were able to call upon Will Broomfield who had a run out from the substitutes bench, another vital member of Dalgleish’s senior squad who hadn’t played since September before this.
James Westlake also stepped up his return to football, following up his cameo from the bench in the previous win over YMCA by making his first start in over a year.
The Robins’ task was helped by the fact that Oakwood were missing their own first team star. Josh Neathey leads the West Division’s scoring charts as well as being the Oaks first team’s leading scorer and his absence was certainly a boost to the Hassocks cause.
Johnson’s hat-trick aside, Hassocks’ other goals came from Joe Bull and George Galbraith-Gibbons, who were scoring their fourth and second goals of the season respectively. Oakwood’s consolation was netted by Sam Gallagher with 20 minutes remaining.
The games come thick and fast now for the Robins with the visit of Lancing to the Beacon next up for John’s side next Thursday night, kick off at 7.45pm.
Hassocks: Josh Green, Jack Gardner, Dan Turner, Thomas Jupp, Ben O’Leary, Sam Cash, Max Donaldson, James Westlake, Joe Bull, George Galbraith-Gibbons, Phil Johnson.
Subs: Will Broomfield, Alfie Loversidge, Brad Sweetman, Joe Tatford.
