Six goals in six October appearances for Charlie Pitcher were enough to see the striker make it back-to-back Hassocks Player of the Month awards.
Pitcher was in irresistible form during the second month of the 2020-21 season as the Robins rose to the dizzy heights of seventh in the Southern Combination League Premier Division table.
He scored his first goal of October with Hassocks’ third in the crazy 4-3 victory at East Preston. The visitors had gone into the break 4-0 ahead but had to survive a second half onslaught from EP, hanging on to win by a single goal for three very welcome points.
A week later and Pitcher was the difference maker at Horsham YMCA. His brace helped secure a first league win at Gorings Mead since 2003 as Hassocks triumphed 3-1. Pitcher’s opening strike on the half volley from 25 yards early in the second half was a genuine goal of the season contender.
Four days on from that and Hassocks scored seven goals in a home game for the first time in a decade as Langney Wanderers were hammered 7-2 at the Beacon with Pitcher notching a hat-trick to move onto 11 for the season.
That total currently leaves him as the second top scorer in the Premier Division and goes a long way towards explaining the Robins’ excellent start to the season.
Jack Troak was voted into second spot having finished third in September’s poll following another enterprising month in which he was involved in nearly as many goals as Pitcher.
The winger began October by setting up both of James Littlejohn’s goals in the 2-1 win over Peacehaven & Telscombe. He tormented the EP defence in the first half at the Lashmar and opened the scoring against YM with a coolly despatched penalty past Aaron Jeal.
Troak was on target again against Langney as well as playing a significant role in helping Pitcher and Littlejohn on their way to their trebles. And it is that other hat-trick scorer from the Langney game who completes the top three as Littlejohn just pipped Andy Whittingham to third sport.
Littlejohn scored five times in October but his contribution was about so much more than goals. EP had no answer to him as he hit the woodwork twice. He then rattled the frame of the goal on two occasions at YM as well as forcing Jeal into two first-class saves; on another day, Littlejohn might have left Horsham with a hat-trick.
His brace against Peacehaven in the opening game of the month meanwhile was well deserved and earned him his first Man-of-the-Match award of the campaign.
