Pete Ashdown is mad. Not certified, of course. Just a little bit wacky.

He is also an extremely good hockey goalkeeper who is bidding to help his club to a third championship in five seasons.

The two things go hand in hand. As the saying goes, you don't have to be mad to be a goalkeeper but it does help.

Ashdown is nicknamed Psycho by his team-mates at Brighton who are challenging for the South Premier division two title, which is effectively level five of the national game.

He said: "I got that nickname from diving head first at a player swinging his stick. My head was four or five inches from the ball as he was swinging at it.

"Although we have decent protection there are the odd bits that always manage to get hit. I think it helps to be a little bit mad."

Ashdown, 30, does not fit the archetypal image of a goalkeeper. At just 5ft 5in, he is the best part of a foot shorter than Great Britain goalkeeper Simon Mason.

His impish looks and cheeky grim stand him out as a real character but they belie a steely determination to be the best at what he does.

He said: "There aren't many other goalkeepers my height, especially at this level. What I lack in height, though, I make up with speed and agility.

"A lot of it is about reading the game, almost second guessing what the opposition is about to do. With my height I need to be able to do that.

"It is a case of watching the ball from when it leaves the guy's stick, much like a batsman in cricket watching the ball from a bowler's hand.

"People often say a lack of brain cells help a goalkeeper but it is just a case of sharp reactions and good awareness of where you are in your D."

Hockey goalkeepers do not just need ability. They also have to have a deep-rooted love for what they do and not just because the ball they are facing is considerably harder than a football.

It can cost hockey's last line of defence the best part of £1,000 just to kit themselves out and Ashdown admits that could be a real stumbling block for any youngsters looking to master the position.

He said: "I buy all my own kit but when I have finished with it I donate it to the club. It all gets recycled for the lower levels and the kids when they come along.

"The club allows me off the subscription fee which everyone else has to pay because of what I have to spend.

"That said, everyone else has their expenses. Some of these guys go through two or three sticks a season especially with the standard we are playing at and the pace with which they hit the ball.

"For the kids up and coming, it is very expensive. I don't know what can be done about that. I suppose it is up to the schools and clubs to provide for the people who want to.

"I've heard it is hard for the clubs to persuade youngsters to play in goal but I would encourage anyone who wants to play to find a way to do it.

"I have spoken to lads in the club about goalkeeping in the past and the ones who have taken it up enjoy it."

Ashdown, an upholsterer, has no regrets about swapping his football boots for a hockey stick.

He said: "I started fairly late. I didn't take up hockey until I was 19 or 20. I had always played football in goal despite my height and then I kept injuring my shoulder so I switched to hockey. I also liked the appeal of the smaller goals!

"I started off at Newhaven and had a good few years there and progressed to better quality hockey here at Brighton. Since then I haven't looked back. We have won two titles and also the Sussex Cup three years out of the last four."

So what is the best part about being a goalkeeper?

Ashdown said: "It is nice to see the ball come off your grille knowing it is bound to hit you on the nose and then it doesn't."