Close fought vote just goes the way of Robins midfielder Connor Bradley
It was one of the tightest Hassocks Player of the Month Awards in history, but in the end Connor Bradley did just about enough to win the vote for the Robins’ best August performer ahead of Alfie Loversidge.
Just 2.2 percent separated the top two, enabling Bradley to win his first gong after establishing himself as a first team regular over the opening four weeks of the 2021-22 season.
The highlight for Bradley was undoubtedly his first senior goal for the club, a sweet volley in the 3-2 defeat against Peacehaven & Telscombe.
Bradley was voted Man of the Match for his efforts at the Sports Park, one of five appearances that the midfielder made over the course of August. Four of those were starts and one came from the bench.
Teenage midfielder Loversidge enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign as an ever present in the Robins’ engine room.
He scored three times, looking like the sort of genuine goal scoring midfielder that Hassocks have not possessed since the halcyon days of Spencer Slaughter and Anthony Hibbert.
The first of those goals came in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Spelthorne Sports. The other two helped secure two of Hassocks’ five points won in August.
Loversidge netted the opener in the 2-2 draw with AFC Uckfield Town and the opener in August Bank Holiday Monday’s 1-1 stalemate with Lingfield.
He also has a number of assists to his name, mainly from pinpoint crosses and set piece deliveries into the box.
All of this was enough to see Loversidge voted Man of the Match in three of Hassocks’ eight August fixtures; the opening day loss at Saltdean United, the FA Cup exit against Spelthorne and the 2-0 win over Steyning Town.
Back in third was another midfielder in Josh Short. The former Burgess Hill Town man was impressive when signed early on in the curtailed 2020-21 season.
He has continued where he left off, featuring in all eight games like Loversidge and being one of the Robins’ stand out performers, most notably when Man of the Match in the 2-1 defeat to Eastbourne Town.
