It was a good September for James Littlejohn as the forward hit his maiden senior hat-trick as well as claiming his first Player of the Month award.
Littlejohn’s treble came in the space of an astonishing seven second half minutes and helped pave the way for the Robins’ 6-2 Premier Division win over Loxwood at the Beacon.
He was also on target three days later in the extraordinary 6-4 extra time over away at Arundel in the Sussex Senior Cup.
Littlejohn netted Hassocks’ third equaliser at Mill Road that night just a few minutes before half time, a vital moment to score given that the game could have taken on a very different complexion had the Robins gone into the break behind.
Those four strikes have helped put Littlejohn into joint first place on the Robins’ scoring charts so far this season with six goals in 15 appearances, leaving him level with Ben Bacon.
It already ensures that 2019-20 is the forward’s most prolific campaign at senior level, and much more will no doubt be expected over the coming months, especially as he continues to thrive with the added goal scoring responsibility placed on Mark Dalgleish’s strikers due to the broken leg which continues to side line last season’s top scorer, Phil Johnson.
Littlejohn took 57% of the vote meaning he was a clear winner ahead of Dan Jacques who came second on 28%. Enigmatic fan favourite Jacques had endured an injury hit start to the campaign but he nailed down his spot at the heart of the Hassocks defence with a string of superlative performances over the course of September.
He was named as the Robins Man of the Match in the defeats away at Eastbourne Town and at home to Lingfield, giving a particularly strong showing against the league leaders’ talented front line at the Saffrons.
Jacques’ achievements in coming second are made all the more impressive given that he only played in six of the month’s eight matches. That was clearly enough time though to make a strong made enough impression on the Beacon faithful.
Third place went to August’s winner as Will Broomfield just saw off the challenge of Jamie Hillwood, collecting 11% of the vote to Hillwood’s 4%.
Broomfield continues to be a vital component in the holding midfield role for Mark Dalgleish and he was a virtual ever-present throughout September. He also continues to do an excellent job of captaining the club in Johnson’s absence.
That’s reflected in the fact that he is yet to finish outside of the top three in a Player of the Month vote this season and is already a leading contender for Player of the Season just three months into the season.
