Defender returns to the Beacon for a third spell following a season at the Haven
Defender Will Broomfield will return to Hassocks for the 2022-23 season for a third spell at the Beacon after a year at Crawley Down Gatwick.
Broomfield first joined Hassocks ahead of the 2017-18 campaign, although he had to wait six weeks to make his debut as international clearance was required due to him previously playing in the United States.
Once granted, he became a mainstay of Mark Dalgleish and Phil Wickwar’s side over the remainder of the 2017-18 season.
Hassocks finished the campaign in the bottom three but Broomfield had impressed sufficiently to make a summer move to Haywards Heath Town as the Southern Combination champions prepared to step up to the Isthmian League for the first time.
Broomfield’s stay at Hanbury Park was a brief one and he returned to Hassocks early in the 2018-19 season. He helped the Robins to a much improved 12th place finish, including three important goals from centre back.
Despite missing two months of the 2019-20 season out injured, Broomfield still managed to make 21 appearances.
He was voted as Hassocks Player of the Month in both September and December either side of his absence and would have been one of the favourites for Player of the Season had Covid-19 not intervened.
In a sign of how important Broomfield was, his unavailability throughout October and November coincided with Hassocks losing six Premier Division matches in a row, a run which significantly contributed to their place in the bottom three.
Broomfield remained with Hassocks for 2020-21, although he did not feature in the Spring Supplementary Shield competition which was introduced after the regular Premier Division season was again curtailed.
He departed for Crawley Down last summer having made 88 appearances for the Robins. He played 19 times for the Anvils in 2021-22, scoring once.
Broomfield becomes the third player Hassocks have acquired from the Haven this summer. Harvey Blake and Phil Johnson have also returned to the Robins, alongside five other signings as new head coach James Westlake continues to build his squad for the upcoming campaign.
Welcome back, Will.
