Winger was too hot to handle helping Robins fly through month with 100% record
Three wins out of three, 11 goals scored and zero conceded through January 2024 saw Hassocks named Premier Division Team of the Month by the Southern Combination League.
And that flying form made for a keenly contested Robins Player of the Month award with a whole host of contenders vying for the crown.
In the end, it went to Leon Turner for a series of livewire performances on the wing in his first real run of games since returning to Hassocks from Littlehampton Town earlier in the season.
Turner played a key role in the 2-0 win at AFC Varndeanians which kicked off the new year, followed by his most impressive performance of the month as Loxwood were beaten 4-0 at the Beacon.
The Magpies had no answer to the trickery, pace and directness of Turner down the right, playing a role in two of the four Robins goals.
It was Turner who led the counter which saw Hassocks go from defending a corner to Alex Fair doubling their lead in less than 30 seconds midway through the second half.
Turner then ghosted past two Loxwood defenders after cutting in from the left before picking out Jamie Wilkes with a square pass across the edge of the box. The rangy Wilkes did the rest, finding the bottom corner for the third Robins goal of the afternoon.
The Magpies’ only solution to stop Turner was a series of increasingly rough tackles, culminating in a terrible challenge in front of the away dugout.
Not only were Loxwood players frustrated by Turner, but their management were too. An incredible series of head losses shortly after saw two members of coaching staff sent from the dugout as Turner had quite rightly been awarded several free kicks in quick succession.
Having survived that kicking at the hands of the Magpies and been named Robins Starman for his troubles, Turner next tormented AFC Uckfield Town in a 4-0 Hassocks win at the Oaks – securing back-to-back man-of-the-match awards in the process.
It was another day were tempers flared, leading Uckfield to play virtually the whole second half with only 10 men following Jay Pullen seeing straight red for a horror tackle.
Second place in January Player of the Month went to Mike Williamson, who even managed to pop up with a rare goal.
That came in the win over Varndeanians. It was some strike too, Williamson picking out the top corner from outside the box after nice link up between Jack Troak and Raging Joe Bull.
Troak enjoyed an excellent afternoon at Withdean Stadium on what was his first start since fracturing his collarbone against Erith Town in the FA Cup back in August.
James Westlake opted to use Troak as a centre forward against Varndeanians as Hassocks continued to experiment in an attempt to replace Liam Benson.
The decision more than paid off, with Troak continuing to lead the line for the rest of the month. Another assist followed against Loxwood and Troak scored himself at Uckfield on his way to taking third place the January Player of the Month.
