Three-goal forward beats Josh Mundy and Big Alex Fair to the accolade
The first Hassocks Player of the Month award of the season has been give to Morgan Vale after an impressive start to life as a Robin in August 2024.
James Westlake had been keen on bringing Vale to the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground for some time and finally got his man in the summer, luring the striker from Southern Counties East outfit Tunbridge Wells.
Vale instantly impressed with his work rate leading the line and although he failed to score through his first five appearances for the Robins, it always felt like once he had the one the rest would follow.
And so it proved. Seven minutes had elapsed of the August Bank Holiday Monday match against Crawley Down Gatwick when Vale hit a sweet strike on the turn to opening the scoring and his account in a Hassocks shirt.
36 minutes later and Vale added a stunning second to his personal tally which took the Robins into a 4-1 lead.
Joe Overy got away down the right, returning a pass to Vale whose carefully controlled lob from six yards over Anvils goalkeeper Alex Bellingham and into the far corner was quite the finish.
Another goal followed five days later when Hassocks became the first side to beat Petersfield Town since the Rams’ summer move into the Southern Combination Premier Division from the Wessex League.
Vale struck with the game just 60 seconds old, collecting a pull back from tall striker Jamie Wilkes before stepping around a defender and firing low and hard past Petersfield goalkeeper Ellis Grant.
Second place in August Player of the Month went to young Josh Mundy, who scored some vital goals from midfield on his way to racking up two Starman awards – more than any other player through August.
The first of those Starman accolades came in the 1-1 draw against Wick at the Hassocks Hotel Beacon Ground. Mundy then repeated the trick with another man-of-the-match display away at Lingfield.
He scored the Robins opening goal in the 2-2 draw at Tinsley Lane with a lovely finish into the bottom corner from outside the box.
And he was again on the scoresheet three days later, an acrobatic diving header providing Hassocks with their third in the 6-0 FA Vase rout of Storrington.
Big Alex Fair took third. He kicked off August in outrageous fashion, hitting a superb right footed volley to give Hassocks the lead after just three minutes of the Mid Sussex FA Cup Derby against Haywards Heath Town.
Fair then got the Robins up and running when heading in their first goal against Storrington from a pinpoint Josh Mundy corner.
August also seemed to feature a higher number of Cruyff Turns and flicks from Fair, culminating in him setting up the rangy Wilkes to score against Crawley Down with an outrageous back heel. It is hard to imagine there being a better Hassocks assist this season.
