Hartley hits four as young Robins rack up eight against Hawks
A trip to glamorous Nevill Playing Fields in Hove turned out to be a good one for Hassocks Under 18s.
Not only did the Young Robins hammer Whitehawk 8-0, but they did so having made multiple changes to give a number of players from the Juniors side opportunities.
Archie Handford was named in the starting XI whilst there were debuts from the bench for Joe Hooper and Archie Burns as Hassocks flexed the muscle of a powerful squad.
In total, the Robins made seven changes from the side who had hammered Eastbourne Town 12-0 in the Sussex Dennis Probee Youth Cup a week earlier.
Rested were George Lythgoe, Kai Birchley, Scott Smith, George Adlington, Charlie Bonwick-Adams, Fletcher Fane and captain Oscar Kemp.
Coming into the team were Theo Bradley, Ben Foster, George Drake, Ethan Brasier, Liam Deere, Will Hartley and the aforementioned debutant Handford.
The Robins named Kemp and Scott Smith on the bench as an insurance policy but neither was ultimately required as Hassocks eased to victory in convincing style.
Star of the show and player who made the most of their starting opportunity more than anyone else was undoubtedly Will Hartley.
Hassocks have been scoring goals for fun this season and so Hartley has found himself restricted largely to appearances off the bench so far.
But the Hawks had no answer to him as he plundered four of the eight goals scored by Hassocks in a superb individual performance.
Hartley opened the scoring early on. It did not take long for Handford to weigh in with a goal on his first appearance for the side, doubling the advantage.
The pitch at Nevill Rec was not in the best condition but Hassocks made light of it, getting their decision make spot on.
They played in the right areas and were not afraid to put a foot through when conditions meant overuse of the ball could have led to opportunities for Whitehawk.
Brasier added the third goal with his first of the campaign, after which Hassocks began to roll their subs to ensure Hooper and Burns received significant game time.
It was Hooper who scored goal four for the Robins, followed by Hartley notching twice in quick succession to complete his hat-trick.
Nye Sim moved Hassocks onto seven and Hartley provided Hassocks with their eighth of the morning and his fourth to round off the scoring.
The Robins have now scored a scarcely believable 31 goals in their past four matches without conceding since losing 3-2 at Montpelier Villa last month.
It has been the perfect response to a shock defeat and leaves Hassocks hanging onto the coat tails of Burgess Hill Town in the title race.
Hassocks: Theo Bradley, Harry Hammond, Archie Handford, Ben Foster, George Drake, Leo Charman, Ethan Brasier, Liam Deere, Nye Sim, Will Hartley, Evan China.
Subs: Joe Hooper, Archie Burns (used), Oscar Kemp, Scott Smith (unused).
