Summer signing number five joins Hassocks after long association with Lancing
Hassocks have made their fifth signing of the summer as the versatile Will Berry joins the Robins from Lancing.
Berry played over 250 times across three spells with the Lancers as either a defender or midfielder. His liking for scoring screamers earned him the nickname ‘Gary Goals’ from the Culver Road support.
He has also turned out for several other Sussex-based Isthmian League clubs in a career spanning over 15 years, being a firm fan favourite wherever he has been.
Berry started with Lancing before two season with Burgess Hill Town between 2009 and 2011. A spell with Whitehawk followed with Berry then spending the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns at Worthing, making over 50 appearances for the Rebels.
The summer of 2015 saw Berry re-join Lancing. His first season back at Culver Road finished with the Lancers ending a 23-year wait for a senior trophy as they lifted the Peter Bentley League Cup, beating Newhaven 2-1 in the final at the Beacon.
A number of the Lancing squad from that 2015-16 season have since gone onto play for Hassocks, including Mike Williamson, Alex Bygraves and Alex Fair last season.
This summer meanwhile has seen the Robins snap up Liam Hendy from Haywards Heath Town, another member of that history-making Lancing side.
Berry won further silverware when the Lancers saw off Loxwood to lift the Southern Combination Premier Division Supplementary Shield in 2021.
Lancing had been the outstanding team over the previous two Covid-hit seasons, earning a deserved promotion into the Isthmian League for the first time in their history.
As a player who already had plenty of experience at step four, Berry was pivotal to the Lancers survival in their debut season at that level.
He played 38 times in all competitions across the 2021-22 campaign as Lancing avoided relegation against all the odds despite having no budget.
Berry moved to Littlehampton Town in the summer of 2022 for a brief run at the Sportsfield before again returning to Lancing for a third spell in which he played 25 times, taking himself past 250 games in a Lancers shirt in the process.
His first appearance for Hassocks came in Tuesday night’s 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat against Lancing.
Welcome to the Beacon, Will.
