Westlake looks north to Croydon to further strengthen his squad
Hassocks have made their fourth signing of the summer, bringing in Leon Turner from Southern Counties East Division One side Croydon.
Turner has previous experience in the Southern Combination League having played for both Loxwood and Saltdean United last season after moving to Sussex from London in the summer of 2021.
His first spell with Loxwood came whilst new Robins head coach James Westlake was part of Spencer Slaughter’s Magpies management team.
Westlake was impressed by what he saw during their time working together and has subsequently managed to bring Turner to the Beacon.
He is a player who has enjoyed an unorthodox journey to senior football. Having given up the game as a teenager, Turner was lured back to the sport at the age of 20 to play in the Leatherhead & District Sunday League.
In the 2020-21 season, he lifted the Surrey Sunday Cup with a man-of-the-match performance in the final for The Buffs. Turner assisted three of his side’s four goals as they beat Wandgas United 4-0 at Leatherhead’s Fetcham Grove Stadium.
Following his move south a couple of months later, Turner ended up at Loxwood for the start of the 2021-22 season for his first crack at senior Saturday football.
He made an impressive start to life at Plaistow Road under Slaughter and Westlake. After 10 games, he had piqued the interest of Premier Division title challengers Saltdean United.
Turner made an instant impact on his debut for the Tigers, scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Lingfield.
Saltdean were struggling with injuries at the point of Turner’s arrival but as key players began to regain fitness, he found his game time becoming more limited.
After four appearances for the Tigers, he returned to Plaistow Road in search of regular football. By the time he ended up flying the Magpies nest for the second time in January, he had scored five times in 16 games for Loxwood.
Turner’s next destination was Croydon, where he spent the second half of last season. The Trams ended the campaign in eighth place in Division One.
Welcome to the Beacon, Leon.
