Tall striker takes the final Player of the Month of a record-breaking Robins campaign
The final Hassocks Player of the Month award of a record-breaking 2023-24 campaign rather aptly went to one of the season’s standout performers.
Tall striker Jamie Wilkes took the honours for April as the Robins racked up the biggest ever Southern Combination Premier Division points tally and secured the second-highest finishing position in Hassocks history.
April began with a disappointing Easter Monday defeat at Haywards Heath Town, the Robins going down 2-0 against their local rivals who in turn seized control in the race for the final playoff spot.
But Hassocks bounced back in superb style, hammering Bexhill United 5-0 at the Beacon four days later – and the rangy Wilkes was involved in four of the goals against the Pirates.
He kicked off the move which led to Super Pat Harding opening the scoring, helped work the ball towards Sean Stephenson for the second and won back possession in the build up to Jack Troak adding the third.
Wilkes himself provided the fifth, reacting like the absolute fox in the box that he is to slide home a rebound from close range.
Good individual performances were in scant supply as Hassocks went down 4-3 in their next outing at Saltdean United, but Wilkes did enough to be judged the best of a bad bunch at Hill Park in being named Robins Starman.
The Robins then gave a team display the polar opposite when hammering Newhaven 5-1 on the final day of the season to book a playoff spot, even though they played with only 10 men for over an hour.
Again, Wilkes was the star performer with the his scoring of the pivotal third goal being the icing on the cake of an all-action display.
Second spot in April Player of the Month went to Mike Williamson, whose month also included the frankly ridiculous achievement of running his first ever marathon in 2:57:36.
Six days after the Brighton Marathon and Williamson was back in the Hassocks midfield on that difficult afternoon against Saltdean.
He followed up by doing a hugely important job sitting in front of the defence in the win over Newhaven after Dan Turner was sent off.
Williamson was then the best Hassocks player on the pitch in the playoff semi final defeat at Eastbourne Town, giving an energetic display despite the exertions required three days earlier to hammer the Dockers playing with only 10.
Third place in April Player of the Month was Micael Fatela, who made a real impact on his return to the Beacon having spent a couple of months at Billingshurst picking up senior experience.
Fatela was named Starman on his full Hassocks debut in the win over Bexhill United and then opened his Robins account with the second goal of the afternoon against Saltdean United.
He did it in some style too, latching onto a bouncing ball and lobbing it as cool-as-you-like over the head of Tigers goalkeeper Jordan Hawkins from 25 yards out.
