Lewis the latest of last season’s Robins to sign again
The Westlake brothers will be linking up again at the Beacon in 2022-23 with midfielder Lewis playing under head coach James in the upcoming Southern Combination League season.
Bringing Lewis back to the Robins from Steyning Town in October last year proved to be a masterstroke by Hassocks as his signing coincided with the much improved form from autumn onwards which helped keep the club outside of the bottom two.
In the first five appearances of Westlake’s third spell as a Robin, he weighed in with four vital goals. None of them were routine strikes either, each being spectacular efforts from distance as Westlake seemed determined to hold his own personal Goal of the Season competition.
There was an effort from 36 yards against Montpelier Villa in a 5-0 Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup win over Montpelier Villa and a delicate chip from a position wide on the right 27 yards out at home to Alfold four days later.
Westlake’s prowess from set pieces also proved highly beneficial. The fourth goal of that impressive run of form came when he caught Peacehaven & Telscombe out by going for goal with a free kick from 31 yards when the world and his wife expected a delivery into the box.
He scored further free kicks against Eastbourne Town, East Preston and Alfold and provided his fair share of assists from dead ball scenarios.
The six goals which Westlake ended the campaign with made it his most prolific as Hassocks player. Goals aside, he provided his fair share of assists from dead ball situations whilst his midfield partnership with brother James provided the Robins with a balanced look and added much needed experience through the spine of the team.
Westlake passed a century of Hassocks appearances in the penultimate Premier Division fixture of 2021-22 against Crawley Down Gatwick. He first joined the Robins in the summer of 2016 from Lancing having previously played for St Francis Rangers.
After 62 matches over the course of the following two seasons, he went back to Lancing for the start of 2018-19 campaign before moving onto Loxwood, where he played 22 times.
Mark Dalgleish re-signed Westlake in February 2019 from Plaistow Road. His second spell returned 15 matches before he again joined Loxwood after his former Hassocks teammate Spencer Slaughter was appointed manager of the Magpies in 2020.
Slaughter soon named Westlake as captain of his Loxwood side. Westlake subsequently skippered the Magpies to the final of the Southern Combination League Supplementary Shield in 2021, where they lost to Isthmian League-bound Lancing.
When Slaughter left Plaistow Road last September, Westlake was one of a number of players who headed for pastures new. His destination was Steyning, but he made only two starts and one substitute appearance before Hassocks lured him back for a third time.
