‘Players deserve more credit’ – Hassocks boss Westlake’s verdict as Robins go 17 points clear

And boss James Westlake does not think they are getting enough credit from people outside the club for the run they have been on.

After taking only one point out of six from Christmas matches with Haywards Heath and Roffey, the Robins then faced starting the new year with a run of six straight premier division away games.

So far they have won five out of five, with a visit to Crawley Down Gatwick to come on Saturday.

Wins have come at Wick, Bexhill, Petersfield, Horsham YMCA and – last Saturday – at Peacehaven, a run in which they’ve scored 13 and conceded just two.

Westlake said: "It’s been an extremely tough start to this year with six away league games in a row. I’m not sure how the league has allowed it to happen.

"But going into the Petersfield Town game we set the challenge to the players to go and get nine points from the next three – and they truly delivered.

"Across those three games we faced a team that was sitting third at the time and hadn’t lost at home in the league since September, a team pumping money into their squad and a team returning to their home venue for the first time this season.

"To go and beat all three teams in the fashion we did is credit to the players and management team.”

Hassocks have kept up their blistering pace at the top when some thought they might have slowed up by now.

Westlake said: “We have been really pleased with what we have achieved so far this season. The players deserve credit in the way we have responded since the Roffey defeat at the end of December.

"Not only have we shown great character, desire and work ethic, the players have shown real quality to go and win the games.”

No-one in the camp is getting away by their present position or assuming it’s job done.

The manager added: “It’s been an excellent season so far; the players deserve far more credit than they’re getting from outside the club. To be in our position with absolutely no playing budget is incredible.”

Their awayday success continued in midweek with a 1-0 win at Petersfield Town in the quarter-finals of the Peter Bentlry Cup.