a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. Hammond also scored three times in cup competitions, with two came from Football League Trophy against Boston United and MK Dons, while the other one came from FA Cup against Stafford Rangers. Hammond finished the 2006–07 season making 39 appearances and scoring 11 times, making him the top–scorer both in the league and in all competitions. For his performance, Hammond was named the club's player of the year this season. Ahead of the 2007–08 season, Hammond returned from injury in the pre–season. At the start of the 2007–08 season, he started the season well, scoring on his 100th league appearance start on 18 August 2007, in a 2–1 win over Northampton Town. Two weeks later, on 1 September 2007, Hammond scored again, in a 3–2 win over Southend United, followed up by scoring in a 3–0 win over Millwall in the next game. Two weeks later, on 22 September 2007, Hammond scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Yeovil Town. It wasn't until on 20 November 2007 when he scored again in the FA Cup round, in a 2–1 win over Cheltenham Town. On 15 December 2007, Hammond scored his fifth league goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over Swindon Town. However, as the 2007–08 season progressed, with Hammond having one-year remaining on his contract at the Withdean, manager Dean Wilkins was keen to offer Hammond a new deal, with the club and representatives for the player beginning talks in October 2007. During January 2008, it was revealed that Hammond would only sign a new deal for the club if they showed the ambition of returning to the Championship. In the final months to his departure, Hammond was sent–off on his last appearance for a straight red card, just ten minutes into the game, in a 1–1 draw against Oldham Athletic. When the £300,000 capture of striker Glenn Murray from Rochdale failed to change Hammond's mind, the club placed him on the transfer list with little more than a week of the transfer window remaining. Colchester United On 30 January 2008, Brighton accepted an offer of £250,000 plus add-ons for the player. Hammond completed the deal the following day, moving to Colchester United. However, Hammond suffered a setback since moving to Colchester United, as he suffered a calf injury, delaying