Goalkeeper Dave Tidy is happy to carry on sitting on the bench for Sussex no matter how many miles he has to travel.

The East Grinstead stopper lives in Carshalton and made a three-hour round trip to Culver Road on Tuesday night to be the spare goalie for Sussex in 3-1 win over Dorset in the South Western Counties Championship.

He was also the odd-man-out when Sussex travelled to Uxbridge for a 1-0 win against the RAF last month. He will probably be warming the bench again when the county fly to Jersey in January.

But the 31-year-old is so delighted to be part of the Sussex squad he does not care how far he has to go.

He said: "It is like the version of the England team at this level of football so when you get called up it is brilliant. I feel very fortunate and honoured to be picked and I am really enjoying it.

"There are some very good goalkeepers in Sussex. It is a specialised thing so to get picked means you are one of the best, even if you are just sitting on the bench.

"I was expecting to play against Dorset but when I was told I wasn't involved I thought that was fine. Some people moan about it but I don't see it that way.

"It is exactly the same at East Grinstead. I give 110 per cent no matter what I do, whether that is sitting on the bench, doing goalkeeping training or just warming the other goalkeeper up before the match.

"I don't care about the travelling, I just want to be part of the squad and I will go anywhere if they ask me."

Tidy's attitude shows that players care about representing Sussex.

He insists being selected is still the greatest honour for a County League player, even though he does not come from the county himself.

He added: "My wife came along to the Dorset game even though I told her I might be on the bench because she knows how much it means to me to represent Sussex.

"I see it as a real honour and I think every player in the County League would. If I played just the last ten minutes of a game I would love it, but even if I just sit on the bench for the remaining games, it doesn't bother me either.

"In years to come when I give up football I will be able to look back and say I was picked for Sussex which is something to be proud of."

County manager John Suter also believes playing for the Sussex team still carries the prestige it once did.

He said: "There has been mutters in the past that players aren't interested in playing for Sussex anymore, but from my experience they are still all very keen.

"At this level of football, it is like playing for your country and most players see that and want to be part of it."