BENN STRIKES BIG NUMBERS
ANY manager looking for a New Year gem in this January transfer window may do well to take a trip down to the Sussex coast where a truly remarkable tale of goalscoring prowess is currently unfolding.
On Tuesday night, Joe Benn smashed a magnificent SEVEN
goals for Littlehampton Town in their 12-1 demolition of East Preston to take his tally for the season to…FIFTY-FIVE!
It means ahead of yesterday’s round of fixtures in the Southern Combination Premier Division, the 27-year-old had single-handedly scored more goals than all but two of the Marigolds’ rivals.
“It’s a slightly crazy situation, I must admit,” Benn told The NLP. “People will say I’m lying but I honestly haven’t been counting. I just try to enjoy my football and hope for the best. It certainly seems to be working.
“Coming into the campaign I had set a target of 30 but it has surpassed anything I could have dreamed of.
“I’m my own worst critic to be honest. I should have scored even more. I’ve missed some big opportunities and they are what weigh on my mind, which is something people will probably find ridiculous.”
In fact, this season hasn’t even been a flash in the pan for Benn, more a continuation of a truly stellar run of form, which has gone under the radar during the last few years of Covid dominated news cycles.
Despite the last two campaigns being severely curtailed due to the pandemic, the lethal frontman still found the net over 50 times during the period, first for Mile Oak, then for local rivals Littlehampton after joining in the summer of 2020.
Benn’s formidable strike rate helped propel the Marigolds to promotion from Division One last season and he has gone on to put the Sussex club firmly in the race for the Premier title this time around, whilst also helping his side reach yesterday’s FA Vase round of 32 where they travelled to Essex side Athletic Newham.
Nevertheless, Benn insists all this would not have been possible without the special team spirit and unity around him.
Flexible
“The boys here mean the absolute world to me, and they have helped create an environment where we can all go out and achieve these uncharted feats,” he added.
“The talent in the squad is amazing and we are just a group of friends who absolutely love what we do.
“Up until midway through this season they were unbeaten in something like two years, it’s something for the record books.
“Who knows how far we can all go together. We certainly didn’t expect to come into Step 5 and instantly be challenging at the very top, let alone get so far in the Vase.
“I think one of the main recipes of our success is that we don’t put any pressure on ourselves, we go out there with a smile on our faces whatever happens.”
While Benn has firmly established himself as a cult hero on the terraces at Littlehampton, the possibility of a suitor from higher up the Pyramid seems realistic.
“You can never say never but I’d have to think long and hard if something ever did come in,” he concluded. “I have a career as a PE teacher which can make it difficult to be flexible with things but it’s impossible to predict the future.
“For now, I’m just enjoying concentrating on doing what I love, which is scoring goals for Littlehampton!”