New Hawks signing Dowridge ready to Rocks n roll at Bognor

That's because the 20-year-old is immediately being sent out on loan to Isthmian League Premier Division outfit Bognor Regis.

Dowridge joined former Crystal Palace under-23s goalkeeper Joe Tupper in completing a move to Westleigh Park.

But the former Southampton and Stevenage Academy midfielder will have to bide his time before he gets a chance to impress boss Paul Doswell in a Hawks shirt.

Doswell invited Rocks boss Jack Pearce to watch Dowridge in the Hawks' friendly win at Horndean last Saturday.

It was agreed after that game that the player would immediately link up with the Nyewood Lane outfit.

And Doswell feels it offers a beneficial step for Dowridge to be ready to fight for a place in his National League South side when he returns to Westleigh Park.

‘One of the things I did was to ask Jack to come to our game on Saturday,' he explained.

‘Jack and I both respect each other’s views.

‘For me it was always could we go and get him 20-odd games with Bognor, train full-time with us and play for Bognor.

‘Hopefully, we’ll progress him that way initially.

'Immediately, he’ll go on loan to Bognor but he’ll be training with us on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

‘He’ll train with Bognor on a Thursday night as well and then be available to Jack for games.'

Londoner Dowridge spent brief spells abroad after falling out of both Southampton and Stevenage Academy systems.

He travelled to Australia and Cyprus in a bid to make a career in the game.

Now he's won a two-year Hawks contract after a successful trial and Doswell is excited to see what he can produce.

‘Again, he’s another young signing at 20 years of age,' he added.

‘He has probably gone under the radar for a lot of people during pre-season, but not for me.

‘He’s very different to Daniel (Ajakiaye) and Lucas (Sinclair) in that he has not got their blinding pace.

‘But what he has got is a real output on the ball.

‘He’s got a great left-foot, which is important, there aren’t many good left-footers around.

‘He never gives the ball away - when I’ve seen him - and he works hard defensively to get back into shape.'

Hawks continue their pre-season friendly programme with a trip to Weymouth on Saturday (3pm).

They completed a South double over the Dorset club in 2019/20, winning 1-0 away and 3-2 at home.

But it was the Terras who ended up winning the play-offs, beating Hawks’ conquerors Dartford 3-0 on penalties in the final after a 0-0 stalemate.

Hawks then visit Gosport Borough next Tuesday.