Defender takes award in his first month as a Hassocks player
An outstanding first seven games of his Hassocks career have seen summer arrival Alex Bygraves named as the Robins Player of the Month for August.
New head coach James Westlake bringing the former Haywards Heath Town, Lancing and Peacehaven & Telscombe captain to the Beacon was seen as quite the coup back in June.
Bygraves has more than lived up to his reputation as a leader at the back with a string of excellent performances, helping Hassocks overcome a difficult defensive start to the campaign.
The opening game of the season saw the Robins beaten 3-0 away at Bygaves’ previous employers, Peacehaven. He was the best Hassocks player on the pitch that afternoon at the Window Workshop Sports Park however, claiming the first Bedlam Brewery Starman award of 2022-23.
Defeat against the Tye was no shame; they were the only Premier Division side to end August with a 100 percent record in the Southern Combination League.
Conceding four goals at home to top flight newcomers Midhurst & Easebourne was more of a concern. Since then though, the Robins have tightened up markedly at the back and Bygraves played a huge part in that.
Hassocks conceded just once from their following four matches against Southern Combination opponents. Clean sheets were achieved in the FA Cup against Lingfield, away at Alfold back in the bread and butter of league football and when Roffey were hammered 7-0 on August Bank Holiday Monday.
The only Sussex-based team to breach Bygraves and the Robins backline between August 3rd and the end of the month was AFC Uckfield Town, who managed to grab a consolation as Hassocks won 2-1 at the Oaks.
Even in the 3-1 FA Cup exit to Isthmian League South Central promotion favourites Uxbridge, Bygraves and co excelled in restricting a dangerous side from the division above to just two goals until getting hit on the counter when the Red Army added their third in the 93rd minute.
Bygraves has also proved his worth at the other end. His towering presence from set pieces combined with Lewis Westlake’s unerring accuracy when delivering saw the defender score against both Midhurst and Roffey.
Second place in August Player of the Month went to popular right back Harvey Blake who returned to the Beacon in the summer from Crawley Down Gatwick.
Blake had to settle for a place amongst the substitutes for that opening day defeat at Peacehaven but has been pretty much undroppable ever since.
Like Bygraves, Blake has had a key role to play in tightening up the Hassocks defence, whilst his swashbuckling determination to attack up the flank has provided the Beacon crowd with some of the most exciting moments of the campaign so far.
Blake took the Bedlam Brewery Starman award in the defeat to Midhurst. He has continued his August form into September and became the first player to win two man-of-the-match titles this season, picking up another Bedlam gift box for his performance in the 2-0 Peter Bentley League Cup exit to AFC Varndeanians.
Leon Turner took third in August Player of the Month for a set of livewire showings down the right flank following his arrival from Croydon.
Turner’s combination of pace, trickery and directness has seen him become a firm fan favourite just six games into his Hassocks career.
He scored his first goal for the club with the opener in the 3-0 win against an Alfold outfit who had no way of stopping him.
Better was to come against Roffey. Hassocks were 4-0 ahead going into half time with most of their joy coming down the right flank thanks to the link up play between Turner and Blake.
