Tom Dinsmore set for debut as Baffins Milton Rovers aim to reach two cup quarter-finals in one evening

The first team host Lymington Town in the third round of the Hampshire Senior Cup on Tuesday.

A few miles away, Rovers’ reserves take on Fareham Town’s first team at Cams Alders for a place in the last eight of the Portsmouth Senior Cup.

Should the HSC tie survive the cold weather, midfielder Tom Dinsmore will make his Baffins debut - his fifth club in the last three seasons.

The former AFC Bournemouth academy player signed for Moneyfields ahead of the pandemic-wrecked 2020-21 campaign.

He had stints at AFC Portchester and US Portsmouth last term, before joining Isthmian Leaguers Chichester last summer.

Baffins boss Danny Thompson said: ‘Tom contacted me as he wasn’t getting the game time he wanted.

‘I tried to sign him in the summer, I met him at the ground, but Tom wanted to try a higher level.

‘He’s been on my radar, he did well in the games I saw him play for US Portsmouth.

‘We’ve currently got Brad Gale out injured and Steve Ramsey’s not going to be with us for ever.’

Ramsey and Tyler Giddings - both ‘on loan’ from Portchester - aren’t allowed to play for Rovers in the HSC. Instead, they could well be needed for their parent club’s tie at holders Farnborough next midweek.

Thompson admits the tie against Southern Leaguers Lymington is ‘50/50’ due to the chilly weather.

‘I’m not overly bothered if it’s off,’ he said. ‘I’ve got bigger pictures to look at.

‘If we play Tuesday it could affect the pitch for Saturday (home to Bournemouth Poppies in the Wessex Premier).

‘We’ve got Bournemouth and US Portsmouth in our next two games at home, and they’re winnable fixtures for us.

‘We’ve done really well so far, given I had to rebuild virtually the entire squad in the summer apart from Jason Parish and Ed Sanders.

‘We’re still in the Hampshire Senior Cup, we’re still in the Wessex League Cup, and we’re eighth in the league.

‘Steve Ledger is doing a great job with the reserves, they’ve got good depth in their squad.

‘The club as a whole is moving in the right direction.’