The speedy striker announced he would be departing The Pilot Field around three weeks ago but it is only now that his switch to Ryman Premier rivals Carshalton Athletic has been confirmed.

"It was certainly not an easy decision because I have grown close to all the players and the fans at the club," he said. "The support that Hastings get week in week out is brilliant, home and away, through good times and bad."

Although former Millwall trainee Sawyer ended last season as the club's top scorer with 17 goals, he realised his spell at The Pilot Field had reached its conclusion.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my two years at Hastings but I knew it was time to move on," he said. "When the chance came to join Carshalton I knew that it was the right move. I am still young and very ambitious and believe that I can still make it into the professional game.

"There has been a lot of non-league talent making the step up in recent years as we saw last season with Cody McDonald of Dartford signing for Norwich and my friend Robin Shroot signing for Birmingham City."

South East London-based Sawyer was the subject of quite a bit of interest during the course of last season. "The club received seven-day approaches from teams in the Ryman Premier as well as one team in the Conference Premier, but at the end of the season when the chance came for me to join Carshalton I knew that was where I would be playing my football next season," he went on.

"Carshalton is a lot closer to home rather than the three-hour round trip to Hastings that I had to make sometimes three times a week. I believe every Hastings supporter will agree with me in saying that Carshalton played the best football in the league last season, and with all the new signings the club has made over the summer I'm looking forward to next season and hopefully I can be the league top scorer this time around."

The highlights of Sawyer's 18-month Hastings career include his first goal in the 1-0 win over Heybridge Swifts, a seven-minute hat-trick against Folkestone Invicta, and the five goals in the 5-2 win over Billericay Town.

"Before the game I felt really sick but kept it quiet because I always want to play no matter what," he revealed. "It was a brilliant night and I don't think I slept a wink, I kept playing it over in my head."
As for next season, Sawyer is sure Hastings will be strong enough to hold their own in the Ryman Premier.

"Hastings will always be a part of me and I will always be following their results," he said before adding: "Hopefully we can take six points off them and hopefully I won't get too bad a reception from the fans."