Jonno just couldn’t stop scoring as Robins racked up 16 points from possible 21
Phil Johnson could not stop scoring in February with his six goals in seven games earning him his first Hassocks Player of the Month award of the season.
With so many fixtures crammed into four weeks thanks to the freezing and wet weather of November, December and January, February always looked like a pivotal month as the Robins seek their first top 10 finish for nine years.
16 points from a possible 21 represented a superb return with Johnson’s hot streak at the heart of Hassocks’ impressive form.
Johnson opened his February account in the second game of the month. The Robins had been woeful, trailing bottom of the table and winless Roffey 1-0 with two minutes of normal time remaining at Bartholomew Way.
Hassocks were handed a lifeline from the penalty spot and despite Boars goalkeeper Jasper Sheik rearranging his socks and talking an impressive amount of claptrap in an attempt to put Johnson off, the spot kick was clinically despatched.
Sheik had now poked the bear with his antics which was bad news for Roffey. In the fourth minute of injury time, Johnson latched onto a Leon Turner through ball and drilled a brilliant effort across Sheik and into the far corner from an impossibly tight angle to win the game for the Robins.
Hassocks went from being lucky to take three points from the Premier Division’s basement side to securing their first away win at Eastbourne Town in 17 years a week later.
Johnson scored the only goal at the Saffrons, coming two minutes into the second half after Turner and Alfie Loversidge combined to launch a counter attack.
Goal number four of February for Johnson proved to be just a consolation as Hassocks fell to their only defeat of the month, a 2-1 reversal at home to Little Common.
After failing to find the net in a 0-0 draw against FA Vase Quarter Finalists Peacehaven & Telscombe, normal service was resumed when Johnson set the Robins on their way to a 2-0 win at Saltdean United.
He then added his sixth goal in the 4-0 win over former club Horsham YMCA at the Beacon, moving onto 97 Hassocks goals in the process.
Three more between now and the end of the campaign will see Johnson become the sixth man to hit a century in senior football for the Robins after Phil Gault, James Laing, Pat Harding, Anthony Hibbert and Robbie Kitchen.
Second place in February Player of the Month went to Sam Smith for his performances at the heart of the Hassocks defence.
Smith came into the starting XI away at Eastbourne Town, the club he began his career with nearly a decade ago. He enjoyed a superb evening at the Saffrons, marking the lively Aaron Capon out of the game in helping the Robins to a clean sheet.
That was one of five shutouts Hassocks recorded through February. Smith played a part in two of the others kept against Saltdean and YM.
The latter of those games saw Smith take the Bedlam Brewery Starman award for his work in nullifying the threat of 15-goal Tom Tolfrey.
Unlike Samson, Jack Troak has not lost any of his powers since chopping his hair off and he took third place in February Player of the Month.
Troak’s versatility has been put to good use with deployment him at both left back and on the wing throughout the February.
His most important contribution of the month came at Saltdean, where he set up both goals after being summoned from the bench early in the second half.
