AFC Portchester boss Catlin could be without his trialling trio for next week’s FA Cup curtain-raiser

Jason Parish (third left) is poised to score for Bognor during their 3-0 friendly win at Horndean on Friday. Pic: Martin Denyer.

Higher division Bognor are continuing to run the rule over Jason Parish and Ethan Robb, while Oscar Johnston remains in Sweden.

Royals boss Mick Catlin is not currently seeking to find replacements as there is still the chance all three could return to The Crest Finance Stadium.

‘Jason and Ethan are still with Bognor,' he said.

‘It looks like they’re going to stay there for the time being.

‘I can’t see us having either of those two for the start of the season.

‘It’s just a case of until Bognor decide whether they’re going to keep them on or send them back to us, it’s down to them.

‘But we’ve got plenty of cover in those areas anyway so it’s not vital to us.’

Parish and Robb are expected to feature for Bognor again in a friendly against Southern Combination Leaguers East Preston on Wednesday.

Catlin added: ‘Oscar is still out in Sweden. I’ve not heard anything, I think he’s out there for a month anyway.

‘I don’t think we’ll be seeing him again until we’ve started.

'We’ve still got a squad of 20 without those lads.

‘We were always going to trim it anyway and it’s trimming itself naturally at the moment.

‘We’ve got a picture of where we are at and where we want to be come September 1.

‘These games are just to nail down the positions in my mind so I know what the starting line up will be come the first game.'

The weekend home stalemate against Cribbs was the second successive friendly where Portchester have failed to find the net - following another 0-0 draw at Moneyfields the previous Tuesday.

But it's not a cause for concern for Catlin, whose side travel to Selsey in their penultimate pre-season friendly on Tuesday.

‘Not really (any goal concerns),' he added.

‘We had Lee Wort missing on Saturday who is one of our biggest goal threats.

‘Craig Harding had a couple of half chances that nine times out of 10 he would have taken.

‘That’s what pre-season is about really, working your way up.

‘We’re not expected to be at our peak yet, the aim is to be ready for the FA Cup game on September 1.'

The Royals host lower tier Sandhurst Town, from the Combined Counties League Division 1, in the extra preliminary qualifying round.

Portchester have a host of attractive games in the first month of the delayed 2020/21 season.

On Tuesday, September 8 they travel the short distance to Cams Alders for the ‘El Creekio’ derby with Fareham, and the following midweek host Horndean in the first round of the Wessex League Cup.

Bemerton Heath - from the second tier of the Wessex League but possessing a budget deserving of higher division football - are the visitors for an FA Vase first qualifying round tie on September.

AFC Stoneham, one of only two clubs ahead of Portchester when 2019/20 was cancelled in mid-March, arrive at The Crest Finance Stadium on September 26 for a Wessex Premier Division encounter.