Popular winger passes a century of appearances for the Robins
Jack Troak has become a Hassocks Centurion, making his 100th appearance for the Robins in their Sussex Senior Cup second round clash with Eastbourne Town at the Beacon.
Troak has reached the milestone in three-and-a-half seasons, during which he has been an automatic choice in the side when fit for four different Hassocks managers.
The hugely popular winger was signed by Mark Dalgleish in the summer of 2019 having previously played for Eastbourne United, Lewes and Ringmer.
In his first season at the Beacon, Troak scored five times from 32 appearances primarily at left back. That made him one of the few bright spots in a season curtailed by lockdown when Hassocks were deep in relegation trouble.
Dave John deployed Troak further forward when taking over the reigns for the 2020-21 season to good effect.
Troak plundered eight goals in 21 matches to finish another campaign shortened by Covid-19 as the Robins’ second highest scorer behind Charlie Pitcher.
One of the first things Brad Sweetman did as Hassocks head coach was appoint Troak club captain ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Troak had to wait several months to wear the armband as a hernia problem kept him on the sidelines for most of the opening four months.
Prior to his return in mid-November, Hassocks had spent the entire campaign in the bottom three. But with Troak back in the team, relegation fears were soon banished.
The Robins ended up nine points clear of the bottom two, at the same time of embarking on a memorable run to the semi finals of the Sussex Principal RUR Charity Cup.
Even though Hassocks were beaten by treble winners Littlehampton Town, Troak wrote himself a small piece of Robins history by being only the fifth player to captain the club in a senior semi final.
To cap a memorable 2021-22, Troak finished second in the vote for Supporters’ Player of the Season to Dan Turner.
That reflects the esteem in which Troak is held by Hassocks fans for his ability, his work rate and his infectious attitude.
Current head coach James Westlake clearly values those attributes too. Troak has made 24 appearances for Hassocks in the 2022-23 season so far, more than any other player. He has scored seven times.
That gives Troak an overall Robins record of 100 games and 30 goals, leaving him 22nd on the all-time top scorers list.
Congratulations on your century, Jack – and here is to the next 100.
