Matt Pole is joined by Sussex sport guru Steve Bone title-winning manager James Westlake, who has just guided Hassocks to the Southern Combination League Premier Division title. They’ve won it with five games to spare and on a zero playing budget, too.
James played for the Millwall Academy from age 9 to 15 before being released. He went on to play grassroots football with Oakwood before making his senior debut at 17 for Burgess Hill Town. James played for St Francis Rangers in the County League for a season before moving to Hassocks in 2010/11, making a total of 262 appearances for the Robins.
He offered to take the manager’s job at Hassocks in May 2022 and at first was player/manager. He hung up the boots at the start of the 23/24 season to focus fully on managing the team. They reached the Southern Combination Premier play-offs in 2023/24, breaking the club record for the number of points in one season.
This season, they have gone several steps better and won the Southern Combination, again breaking the club record points set the previous season and winning the club’s first major trophy in its 123 year existence - in the process winning promotion to the Isthmian League.
