his Colchester United. It wasn't until on 23 February 2008 when he finally made his Colchester United debut, coming on as second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Bristol City. Since making his Colchester United debut, Hammond established himself in the first team there at the club, but subsequently unable to help the club survive relegation and went on to make 13 appearances. Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Hammond dismissed suggestions that he would leave Colchester United following their relegation and stated that he was given an opportunity to play. Nevertheless, Hammond continued to be a first team regular at Colchester United and then scored his first Colchester United goal on 25 October 2008, in a 5–0 win over Carlisle United. Following Chris Coyne's absent from the first team, Hammond was appointed captain in December for the rest of the season. Weeks after being given the captain role, Hammond scored again to give Colchester United their first ever win against Leeds United at Elland Road. It wasn't until on 17 January 2009 when he scored his third Colchester United goal, in a 3–1 win over Cheltenham Town. After missing out for one game, due to injury, Hammond scored on his return from injury, in a 2–2 draw against Huddersfield Town on 3 March 2009. Following the match, Hammond's return was praised by Manager Paul Lambert, describing him as "terrific". For the rest of the season, Hammond continued to be a first team regular, resulting him being named the club's Player of the Year and Gazette Player of the Year award. At the end of the season, Hammond finished his full season at Colchester United making 43 appearances and scoring 5 times in all competitions. In the 2009–10 season, Hammond found himself in the transfer speculation when Colchester United accepted a bid from Southampton, having previously turned down two bids from them. Amid to the transfer move to Southampton, Hammond made three appearances in all competitions, including a 7–1 win over Norwich City in the opening game of the season. Hammond made 63 appearances during his time with The U's, scoring 5 times in all competitions before his move to St. Mary's. Southampton On 19 August 2009, Hammond signed a three-year contract with Southampton for an undisclosed fee. As a result of moving to Southampton, his former club, Brighton, received a 20% of any profit as part of the clause following