Horsham FC continue summer of signings with Eastbourne Borough favourite

The 26 year old, who was courted by a number of clubs after announcing his decision to quit the Sports last month, made his senior debut as a 16 year old for Peacehaven & Telscombe before going on to play close on 200 times for Lewes, helping them get promoted to the Isthmian Premier Division in 2017.

Since joining Borough in 2020, Hammond had made more than a century of appearances in ‘the engine room’ of the National League South side, including an FA Cup 1st round tie with Blackpool and a play-off quarter-final.

Speaking to Horsham’s website, Hammond said: “I didn’t really know what was going on at Eastbourne at first so when I spoke to Dom (Di Paola) earlier in the summer, and he set out the plan, it was the one I was most engaged with. I was looking for a potential change anyway but we didn’t really have a choice. With the new owners changing focus, we had to resign from our jobs to go full-time at the club and at the age I am now, and with the job that I’ve got, it’s not something I could sacrifice for National League South football to be brutally honest.

“I had a fair few offers but I liked the way Dom spoke about the club. I like his ambition and his plan for the season really engaged me. He really sold the project to me. His track record speaks for itself and I didn’t really realise until he told me just how well Horsham have done in such a short space of time.

“Horsham is also close to home and I’ve got a couple of good friends here so it was the best option for me. Lee Harding is one of my best mates but I’ve played quite a few games at this level so I know a lot of the boys, having either played against them or with them, like Lew Carey and Sami when I was younger.

“We’ve got to be pushing for the promotion spots, certainly top three. We’ve got to aim high and we’ve got to be confident of achieving that with the squad that we’ve got.”