‘Shut up’ – Horndean boss Birmingham’s message to Wessex League ‘moaners’ following Portchester’s capture of former Portsmouth star Brett Pitman

The Royals stunned the local non-league football scene earlier this month when they announced the capture of the former Pompey strike favourite.

In an instant, Portchester were installed as Wessex League Premier Division title favourites. And the Wessex - the ninth tier of football in this country - suddenly enjoyed a far higher level of publicity than before.

Birmingham admits Pitman’s arrival is fantastic news for the league in general – echoing the thoughts of Moneyfields boss Glenn Turnbull - and adds an extra layer of glamour for PO postcode derbies with the likes of city-based trio Moneyfields, Baffins and US Portsmouth and El Creekio neighbours Fareham Town.

‘I’ve seen people moaning about it (Portchester signing Pitman),’ said Birmingham. ‘If they don’t like it, shut up - stop moaning.

‘It’s not for me to talk about Portchester’s business, in the same way it’s not their business to talk about Horndean’s.

‘Since they’ve gone up into the Wessex Premier, Portchester have gone for it big time. There’s no right way or wrong way to go about it.

‘Portchester have got an ambitious chairman (Paul Kelly) and a manager (Dave Carter) who has taken Moneyfields up (from the Wessex).

‘There will be some big, big pressure on teams this season. Portchester will have pressure, but they have always had pressure, they are used to it.

‘Moneyfields said it was a fun season for them last year, but with the players they have signed they shouldn’t be losing so many games again. They’ve signed some good players - Jack Lee, Harry Sargeant, Callum Laycock - and are a very powerful side.

‘It’s not just the local teams. Hythe & Dibden have made some great signings from a Winchester City side who won promotion last season.’

Asked as to how much pressure was on Horndean to feature in the Wessex title race following a raft of summer signings, Birmingham replied: ‘There’s always pressure. You have your standards and you want to make sure you meet them.’

Hawks host Havant & Waterlooville on Tuesday (7.45pm) in their most high profile pre-season friendly prior to their mouthwatering Wessex League curtain-raiser at home to Moneyfields on August 2.

In the games so far, Birmingham has given game time to attacker Aaron Akoman, centre half Eddie Wakley and midfielder Louis Udeh.

All three contacted him with a view to impressing and hopefully signing at Five Heads Park.

Akoman was at Petersfield Town last season, appearing for the Rams in their Portsmouth Senior Cup quarter-final win at Horndean.

Wakley was in the Pompey Academy, and after his release has played for Moneyfields, Gosport Borough and Bognor. He is now back in action after an ACL injury.

Udeh, who mainly played for Fareham Town’s reserves in 2021/22, emailed Birmingham asking for a chance to impress.

‘You never say no to anyone in pre-season,’ he remarked. ‘You never know if you’ll find a rough diamond.

‘And in this heat, you need as many players as you can get - not many are going to be playing 90 minutes.’

Birmingham has so far signed Lee Molyneaux Rudi Blankson, Ethan Gee, Tommy Scutt and Tommy Patterson (all Baffins), Charlie Merritt and Marvin Orepo (both Petersfield), Tom Jeffes (US Portsmouth) and young keeper Ryan Rochester (Gosport Borough).

The boss said: ‘I want players who will fit into our dressing room, not make it toxic. I want players who we can make better - so they end the season as better players than when they started it.

‘That’s the challenges I’m looking for when I make signings.’