LUKE Hornsley is bursting with pride after racking up 100 Hullbridge Sports goals in just 164 appearances.

Hornsley reached his century as Sports sensationally recovered from a three-goal deficit to seal a 4-3 win at Brentwood Town on Tuesday.

And Hornsley, who scored the leveller before claiming the assist for Joe Wright’s late winner, admits he has come a long way since being more interested in keeping clean sheets at the start of his career.

“It’s a massive achievement for me and it’s weird to think that I started my career as a defender,” said Hornsley.

“I played at centre-half and then left-back and right-back until the age of 23 before taking a few years out.

“Following that, I came back to this level at 26 and scoring 100 goals for Hullbridge is great.

“A lot of the goals came in the Essex Senior League and, having made the step up to the Isthmian North, chances are few and far between now.

“Scoring the equaliser to ensure we came back from 3-0 down was also fantastic and the result made it even more special.

“I don’t think I’d have had the same buzz after scoring my 100th goal if it was just a consolation in the match.”

Goals from Anthony Furlonge, Sewa Marah and Connor Hogan meant Hullbridge had a mountain to climb at Brentwood.

And Hornsley concedes Sports were shell-shocked at the break.

“If I’m being honest, I don’t think anyone thought we were going to come away with a positive result because, at half-time, we looked dead and buried,” added Hornsley.

“We were a bit shocked in the dressing room, but the manager told us to have belief.

“After we got the first goal, we didn’t stop and it was a fantastic comeback.”

A Wright brace, along with efforts from Tim Monsheju and Hornsley, ensured Hullbridge came out on top in the Isthmian North clash.

And Hornsley is enjoying his second spell with Sports.

“Since coming back to the club, we have won the Essex Senior League title and that was a really good achievement in itself,” admitted the 32-year-old.

“I am really enjoying it at Hullbridge and we have a good bunch of lads.

“A lot of them hadn’t played at this level before this season but we have been playing some really good stuff.

“Staying up would be a huge achievement for us, but you never know what could happen if we get a bit of momentum.”