80-goal striker Zak Willett aiming to round off remarkable season with Portsmouth FA silverware

Zak Willett (red/blue) has scored 80 goals in just 36 appearances for Paulsgrove and Southsea United this season. 
Picture: Chris MoorhouseZak Willett (red/blue) has scored 80 goals in just 36 appearances for Paulsgrove and Southsea United this season. 
Picture: Chris Moorhouse
Zak Willett (red/blue) has scored 80 goals in just 36 appearances for Paulsgrove and Southsea United this season. Picture: Chris Moorhouse
Zak Willett will aim to round off a truly extraordinary season with silverware this weekend.

The youngster has blasted a staggering EIGHTY goals in just 36 league and cup appearances for Paulsgrove and Southsea United in 2020/21.

He struck 24 times in just 12 starts for Hampshire Premier League club Grove, plus one sub outing – winning a move to Wessex League Premier Division club Horndean for 2021/22.

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For Southsea, Willett's total is an eye-popping 56 goals from just 23 appearances - six of which have come off the bench!

In addition, most of Southsea’s post-lockdown City of Portsmouth Sunday League games have been double headers - meaning they have only lasted an hour.

Willett has fired 11 hat-tricks for Southsea this season, including one six-goal haul, one five-goal haul (after coming on as a sub), four four-goal hauls and five trebles.

Southsea take on Portsmouth League Division 4 rivals AC Copnor in the Portsmouth Divisional FA Trophy final on Sunday (12.45pm).

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That is one of three PDFA Sunday finals taking place at the ground on the same day - AFC Trades and Horndean United compete in the Plate final (10am) and Friends Fighting Cancer take on Dingle Rovers in the Intermediate Cup (3.30pm).

Southsea completed a league double over Copnor en route to finishing runners-up to Wicor Mill Royals.

They won 5-3 in October and then dished out a 14-0 hammering last month. But Copnor rested eight regulars that day as they had a Trophy semi-final tie just a few days later.

While Southsea can boast Willett, Copnor also possess a prolific striker - Brad Hartill having struck 31 league and cup goals this season in just 21 appearances.

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Copnor squad (v Southsea): Josh Bailey, Neil Bradley, Tom Connell, Owen Gaudion, David Harris, Bradley Hartill, Danny Hayter, Jamie Hayter, Thom Lorenz, Nigel Moyo, Luke Oldfield, Jonathan Rowe, Jake Simmons, Matt Simmons, Nick Sutherland, Oliver Warren.

Trades will start as favourites against Horndean to complete a league and cup double having already won Division 5 of the Portsmouth Sunday League.

En route they completed the double over Horndean in April, winning a double header fixture 5-1 and 3-1.

Top scorer Charlie Smith - who has 36 goals in 18 appearances - struck four times in the first success.

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Trades boast further goal threats in Harry Gregory (22 goals in 17 appearances this season) and Sonny Smith (16 in 16).

Horndean will field Stu Rees in goal as Mike Bowbrick is suspended after being sent off in the semi-final victory over Al’s Bar at Front Lawn.

Ste Downall is still sidelined following an injury suffered in the quart-final win against Titchfield and Louis Knight is unavailable as he wants to stay injury free ahead of joining the Navy.

Trades squad (v Horndean): Hayden Dyer, Sonny Smith, Taylor Ssmith, Carl Reynolds, Ben Symons, Jess Groves, Albie Holden, Taylor Carrick, Alfie Norman, Harry Gregory, Yemi, Adam Puckett, Reece Thomson, Kian Hampshire, Marley Horsted, Charlie Cane.

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Horndean squad (v Trades): Sam Hatherley, Stuart Rees, Andrew Jamieson, Toby Funnell,

Thai Allan, Matt Saunders, Matt Davison, Sean Barnes, Lewis Saunders, Cliff Little, Sam Leitch, Jack Jerome, James Gregory, Barry Jeans, Peter Snaith, Michael Granger.

In the Intermediate Cup, Dingle Rovers are the only non-City of Portsmouth Sunday League club playing at Westleigh Park on Sunday.

They were recently crowned Meon Valley Sunday League Division 1 champions, while Friends Fighting Cancer finished bottom of Division 2 of the Portsmouth League.

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