Hassocks re-sign prolific forward from Crawley Down Gatwick
Charlie Pitcher has re-joined Hassocks for a fourth spell with the Robins completing his signing from Crawley Down Gatwick.
The striker has previously scored 19 goals in 42 appearances for the club, most recently in the 2020-21 campaign when he finished as Hassocks top scorer.
Pitcher first came to prominence as a teenager at the Robins’ Mid Sussex rivals St Francis Rangers before a spell playing for Loxwood.
He was already a regular scorer at Southern Combination Premier Division by the time he arrived at the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground from the Magpies in March 2017, despite still only being 19-years-old.
Pitcher scored his first Robins goal on his home debut, a chaotic 5-3 win over Lancing in which current Hassocks players Big Alex Fair and Will Berry notched for the Lancers.
It was Pitcher’s only strike before a summer move to Haywards Heath Town, although he was soon back at Hassocks a month into the 2017-18 season.
Pitcher’s second spell saw him score twice from 16 outings. He went onto return to Loxwood, as well as having spells with Broadbridge Heath, Lancing, Burgess Hill Town and South Park.
The summer of 2020 saw Pitcher become a Robin for a third time. He spent the entire 2020-21 campaign with Hassocks, scoring 11 times across league and cup before Covid-19 brought the regular season to a halt in December.
Pitcher then added five more in the Supplementary Shield Competition introduced through April and May when lockdown restrictions were lifted.
That haul included a sensational hat-trick in a shock 3-1 win away from home against Horley Town, one of the favourites to win the competition.
Pitcher had smashed another hat-trick earlier in the season against Langney Wanderers, with his 16 goal haul from just 20 games enough to see him finish third in the race for the Premier Division Golden Boot.
He also picked up both the September and October Hassocks Player of the Month awards in a magnificent season.
Pitcher moved to Crawley Down Gatwick for the 2021-22 campaign, enjoying his most prolific season ever with 30 goals from 29 appearances.
He has subsequently enjoyed additional spells with Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, Lancing and Littlehampton Town.
In the current campaign, Pitcher has three goals from seven appearances after re-joining Crawley Down early in the season from Littlehampton.
Welcome back to the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground, Charlie.
