Hassocks announce former Lancing midfielder Mike Williamson as their second signing of the summer
Hassocks have completed their second signing of the summer with head coach James Westlake luring Mike Williamson back to senior football following a two year break.
A tenacious midfielder whose work rate has drawn praise from every manager he has played under, Williamson is best known for his long spell with Lancing.
He was a regular at Culver Road between 2014 and 2020, playing more than 200 times and becoming a hugely popular figure with the Lancers faithful during a period of sustained success for the club.
Williamson helped Lancing win their first silverware for 23 years when they lifted the Peter Bentley League Cup in 2016. He was named man-of-the-match in the final, a 2-1 win over Newhaven at the Beacon.
Two former Hassocks players were also heavily involved that day. Defender Jake Mills was on the receiving end of a foul which saw the Dockers’ Joe Dryer dismissed after only 24 minutes. Goalkeeper Josh Green then went onto save Lee Robinson’s penalty six minutes into the second half.
Four years later and Williamson was a key player in Naim Rouane’s table topping Lancing side, who looked set to win the Southern Combination League Premier Division title until the 2019-20 campaign was curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Williamson left Lancing at the end of that season, taking a step back from football after becoming a father. After sitting out the whole 2020-21 season, he signed for Mid Sussex Championship side Hurstpierpoint for 2021-22, playing four times and scoring twice.
Prior to joining Lancing, Williamson played for Haywards Heath Town as part of their successful 2012-13 squad who finished runners up in Southern Combination League Division Two, ending the Blues’ nine-season spell in intermediate football.
Heath also won the Division Two Cup when beating Hurstpierpoint 3-0 in the final and the Sussex Intermediate Cup after a 2-1 extra time win over Hassocks Reserves.
The signing of Williamson comes hot on the heels of the return of Pat Harding to the Beacon from Burgess Hill Town as Westlake continue to shape his squad ahead of the new campaign.
Welcome to the Beacon, Mike.
