Ex-Portsmouth international joins second club in five months - and swells former Blues contingent to six

Under-21 international Alfie Bridgman is on the move again - five months after leaving Pompey.

The Maltese left-sided winger linked-up with Eastbourne Borough in June following his Fratton Park release, having made two first-team appearances.

Although his stay with the National League South side has proven short-lived, with the 19-year-old this week making the switch to Bognor.

It represents a third spell with Robbie Blake’s side, having previously spent time on loan at Nyewood Lane, most recently last season - and swells their ex-Pompey contingent to six.

For Bridgman, it’s the opportunity for more regular first-team football after growing frustrated with a lack of first-team action with Eastbourne.

He featured nine times for Mark Beard’s men, including five starts, yet departed by mutual consent on Tuesday with a club statement citing a desire to ‘seek regular first-team football’.

The following day, the Rocks announced the Maltese youth international’s capture for the rest of the season - and he’s now in contention for Saturday’s trip to Dulwich Hamlet.

Blake told the club’s official website: ‘We’re naturally delighted that Alfie has returned. He can be an exciting player, a real danger and threat going forward and his pace and power gives us options in terms of our attacking mindset.

‘He’s only going to improve with us and there is more to come from him and he will make us stronger, no doubt.’

The former Purbrook Park School pupil totalled 35 games and seven goals on loan with the Rocks last season.

However, Bridgman was among those released by John Mousinho last summer, marking a heartbreaking departure from the club he supports.

The winger made his Blues debut aged 16 years, nine months and two days at Peterborough as a substitute in the Papa John’s Trophy in January 2021.

His second and final first-team outing was against Crystal Palace in the same competition in November 2021, again coming off the bench.

Last summer he featured in the European Under-19 Championships for host nation Malta, qualifying through his grandmother, while made his under-21 debut against Belgium in October.

Bridgman now returns to the Rocks, reuniting with former Academy team-mate Dan Gifford, who joined from Farnborough in October.

With Calvin Davies, Ryan Hall, Dan Smith and Spencer Spurway also at Nyewood Lane, it means they have six former Blues on their books.

Blake will be hoping the pacy attacker’s arrival can help boost his side’s Isthmian League Premier Division campaign, currently residing in 13th place.