Three goals in five matches fire rangy forward to the award
Three goals in five November matches saw tall striker Jamie Wilkes win his first ever Hassocks Player of the Month award.
The rangy Wilkes hit scoring form at a good time for the Robins, who saw top scorer Liam Benson depart for Haywards Heath Town midway through November.
Wilkes grabbed his first goal of the month – and the season – as Hassocks were beaten 5-2 away against Southern Combination League Premier Division leaders Crowborough Athletic in the opening game of November.
It was a finish befitting the absolute fox in the box Wilkes is, reacting quickest to meet the rebound from a saved Pat Harding shot with an acrobatic diving header.
You wait 21 games for one Wilkes goal and then another comes along a week later. Good work from Julian Durand in dispossessing Eastbourne Town full back Harry Simmons teed Wilkes up for the third goal of Hassocks’ 3-0 win at the Saffrons.
Earlier in the afternoon and Wilkes had been heavily involved in the first Robins goal. Some industrious play won possession on the edge of the Town box before the ball made its way to Benson who applied the finish.
72 hours later and Wilkes was on the scoresheet for the third game in succession as Peacehaven & Telscombe were beaten 2-0 at the Beacon.
A long ball over the top put the tall striker in a footrace against Tye goalkeeper Nathan Stroomberg-Clarke. Wilkes reached the ball first, coolly rounded the Peacehaven number one and then fired into the now empty net from a tight angle.
With Starman awards to go with his goals in the Crowborough and Eastbourne Town matches, Wilkes is a very worthy winner of the award.
Second place went to Matt Gunn, who was a tower of strength at centre back for Hassocks throughout November.
Peacehaven and Eastbourne Town were amongst the highest scorers in the division before facing the Robins, making the clean sheets Gunn helped secure in both those matches particularly impressive.
Gunn also helped Hassocks record their third shutout of the month when Saltdean United were beaten 4-0 at the Beacon.
His most impressive performance came in the 3-2 win at Steyning Town, three points earned via a memorable backs-to-the-wall performance in which the back four and goalkeeper Fraser Trigwell were exemplary.
And it is Trigwell who rounds off the top three in the November Player of the Month standings. The Robins number one has made some big saves, without which his side would not have enjoyed such a healthy points return or gone into December second in the table.
With Hassocks 1-0 up against Eastbourne Town, Trigwell denied a powerful Evan Archibald volley via a brilliant stop from point blank range.
Then at Steyning, he somehow kept out a Charlie Meehan one-on-one with his legs to prevent the Barrowmen marking their domination of the opening 20 minutes with a goal.
