Defender with over 200 appearances to his name looking to add more in 2024-25
A decade after his Hassocks debut and stalwart defender Bradley Tighe has signed up for another season with the Robins.
Tighe made his first team bow as a 17-year-old in the 2014-15 campaign. He has since played for Hassocks in 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24, making the upcoming season his ninth in a Robins shirt.
Last season was particularly memorable for Tighe as in his 192nd appearance for Hassocks, he finally scored his first goal.
It proved worth the wait too, a a crisp volley at the far post in a 2-0 win over Peacehaven & Telscombe which gave Tighe’s former Robins teammate Nathan Stroomberg-Clarke in the Tye goal no chance.
The celebrations amongst Tighe’s teammates and the Beacon faithful were quite something when that ball hit the back of the net.
Having taken nine years to open his account, there were just three months between goal one and goal two. Tighe went onto notch in the return game against Peacehaven at the Window Workshop Sports Park.
Tighe scoring the first two goals of his senior career both past the Tye particularly delighted his father Jason, who had a long association as player and coach with the Peacehaven’s arch rivals, Newhaven.
As well as his new-found prolific form, Tighe impressed through 39 appearances switching between right back and centre back in 2023-24.
He proved colossal in the 5-1 final day win over Newhaven having come off the bench in difficult circumstances after less than 30 minutes when Dan Turner was sent off.
Hassocks led 1-0 at the time. Tighe seamlessly slotting in alongside Matt Gunn played a huge part in the Robins securing one of the best results in their history.
It was at right back where Tighe first burst onto the scene. Dave John handed Tighe his debut early into the 2014-15 season and he went onto make the number two shirt his own under Mark Dalgleish and Phil Wickwar.
2015-16 saw Tighe become one of the youngest ever winners of Hassocks Players’ Player of the Season. He then left for Ringmer in the summer of 2017 after 74 senior outings for the Robins.
When Ringmer folded at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, Tighe had a brief spell at Lancing before returning to Hassocks in November 2018 and playing 27 times for the Robins in 2018-19.
He moved to Seaford Town in August 2019, spending 18 months at the Crouch until John brought him back to the Beacon for a third spell ahead of the 2020-21 Southern Combination Premier Division Supplementary Shield.
Tighe passed 100 appearances during that competition. He played 35 times under Brad Sweetman in 2021-22, when his centre back partnership with Turner was a huge factor in helping the Robins avoid relegation.
Hassocks kept six clean sheets in their final 13 matches with Tighe being named Manager’s Player of the Season by Sweetman.
James Westlake’s appointment as head coach in the summer of 2022 made it six different management teams Tighe had played under for Hassocks.
He has remained a regular through the Westlake Era and passed 200 appearances for the Robins in February, marking the occasion with the assist for Turner’s last minute winner in a 2-1 victory over Little Common.
