Bognor midfielder invited back for another trial stint with Hibs after impressing ex-Celtic boss Neil Lennon

Tommy Block on the ball for Bognor at Whitstable in the FA Cup / Picture by Tommy McMillan

The Scottish Premiership outfit have invited Bognor midfielder Block, 18, back to Easter Road for another trial period after he fell ill during a stint with the Edinburgh club last week.

Block trained with the first team under the watchful eye of ex-Celtic manager Lennon and then played in a behind-closed-doors friendly game in which he scored with a header from a corner.

But he missed two days of training due to an upset tummy so Hibs want more time to run the rule over the youngster, who has been filling in at centre-half for Jack Pearce's men due to injuries.

Block said: "I thought I did well initially but then had a stomach bug and was confined to my hotel room. There was no way I could train or play. Hibs were brilliant, though, they really looked after me while I was unwell and helped me get through it.

"I wasn't sure if being unwell during the few days I was there would have a negative impact on my chanes of impressing them. But they were brilliant, telling me not to concern myself too much about being ill.

"Now I have been contacted about going back In December, which is great news for me. I remain hopeful that once again I can impress."

Block flew back to England on Friday and played for the Rocks in the 3-2 Sussex Senior Cup third round win over Three Bridges at Nyewood Lane on Saturday. And he managed to score with a powerful header from Mason Walsh's cross to make it 2-2 before Pompey loanee Dan Smith bagged the winner.

The visitors had taken a 2-0 lead into the break and Block says Bognor will redouble their efforts to start better and cancel out defensive mistakes that lead to them often having to come from behind.

Pearce's men sit in sixth spot in the Bostik Premier League and travel to Harlow Town on Saturday with former Brighton youth player Block calling for renewed determination to deliver a strong team performance against the fourth-from-bottom opponents.

He added: "On our game I still remain confident we can beat any team in the league but we have to be more consistent for longer periods. We can't keep giving away soft goals and we need to be far more efficient up front, too."