AFC Portchester discover Hampshire Senior Cup semi-final opposition ahead of Baffins Milton Rovers derby battle - and Shaun Wilkinson on Royals boss Dave Carter deserving more 'respect' for managerial achievements prior to meeting

The Royals found out they'll face two-divisions higher Southern League Premier South high-fliers Farnborough in the Hampshire Senior Cup semi-final following their 4-0 last-eight victory over a youthful Pompey line-up last night.

Added to that, Portchester also have a last-four 'El Creekio' derby trip to Fareham Town to come in the League Cup on March 22.

And while making it clear a high-placing league finish is an objective, Carter says his troops will have a cup focus for the remainder of the season ahead of welcoming PO postcode area rivals Baffins Milton Rovers in the Wessex Premier on Saturday.

‘We’ve got two derbies in a row. It’s all about being part of it and getting out of it what we can,’ said Carter.

‘We want to end the season well in the league, obviously our cup games are our priority really - two semi-finals will be our priority for now.

‘It’s a tough one but it’s a lovely place to go (Farnborough tie). They’ll have a fantastic pitch up there, a big crowd in for the semi-final of the cup I’d expect, so we’re looking forward to it.

‘We’re looking forward to it. We’ll go there with nothing to lose, they’re flying high and second in the table in the Southern Premier South, it’ll be a tough game.

‘We’ll obviously be massive underdogs, but it’s a chance to go there and enjoy it.’

Goalkeeper Konrad Szymaniak has returned to Portchester’s weekend opponents Baffins after a brief stint at the Royals while Steve Mowthorpe was ruled out with a shoulder injury – but he is now expected to return on Saturday.

The weekend meeting with Baffins is the first of two clashes against Portsmouth sides in the league in the space of just four days for eighth-placed Portchester, who travel to US Portsmouth on Tuesday.

While for Shaun Wilkinson's Baffins side the short trip to the Royals represents a chance to get back on track following successive league defeats.

The visiting manager also sung the praises of Portchester counterpart Carter ahead of the clash. And Wilkinson says the current Royals boss is not given the 'respect he deserves' after guiding former club Moneyfields to the Southern League for the first time in their history in the 2016-17 season.

‘We need to get a bit of momentum back, get a few wins, bring the confidence back and finish the season on a high, really,’ said Wilkinson.

‘We’ve put too much hard work in, too much good football has been played by us, for things to just fizzle out.

‘People forget Portchester were most people’s favourites (to win league) before the start of the season.

‘They took a bit of criticism early season, I can’t see why. People don’t put enough respect on Dave Carter and Gav Spurway (Portchester assistant boss) - they’re the only local managers around who have actually got a team out of the Wessex (Premier).

‘To be honest, they just had a slow start, they’ve got top players - a team full of Southern League players - you see with the recent results how good of a team they really are.’