Alternative 'home' venue which will provide very familiar setting for Moneyfields manager Glenn Turnbull and majority of his players when they face Shaftesbury

Moneyfields manager Glenn Turnbull will make a 'strange' return to the home dugout at the Victory Stadium this weekend.
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With Moneys’ Dover Road ground currently out of action because of ongoing redevelopment work, US Portsmouth's Burnaby Road stadium will play host to Moneyfields' 'home' Wessex League Premier Division clash against third-placed Shaftesbury on Saturday.

But for the majority of Turnbull's management team and playing squad it will provide a very familiar setting.

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Current Moneys boss Turnbull guided US Portsmouth to the FA Vase semi-final and promotion last term before swapping the Victory Stadium for the hotseat at the Dover Road club in the summer.

Former US Portsmouth boss Glenn Turnbull will return to the home Victory Stadium dugout with current club Moneyfields this weekend Picture: Chris Moorhouse (170421-36)Former US Portsmouth boss Glenn Turnbull will return to the home Victory Stadium dugout with current club Moneyfields this weekend Picture: Chris Moorhouse (170421-36)
Former US Portsmouth boss Glenn Turnbull will return to the home Victory Stadium dugout with current club Moneyfields this weekend Picture: Chris Moorhouse (170421-36)

Both his assistant managers Paul Barton and Fraser Quirke followed Turnbull to Moneyfields, as did a large number of his playing contingent from last season.

And ahead of what will be a welcome 'homecoming' for many now involved with Moneys, Turnbull joked it will feel odd seeing the yellow shirts of his current club around the home changing room as opposed to the maroon and navy colours of US Portsmouth.

‘We'll know all about it (playing at the Victory Stadium). US Portsmouth have been very good, the clubs have had good communications with everything, so they're helping us out in a good way so it should be decent,’ said Turnbull.

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‘It'll be nice. I wrote in my programme notes that it'll seem a bit strange hanging up yellow shirts in there rather than maroon and navy.

‘A lot of lads, we still go down there quite a lot and watch if we're not playing, a lot of them went on Tuesday night to watch the AFC Portchester game (against US Portsmouth).

Turnbull continued: ‘I talk twice a week, if not more, with Gricey (Tom Grice; US Portsmouth manager), I speak to Bob (Brady; US Portsmouth stalwart) but that's more when I see him.

‘It's a fantastic venue, great backdrop, so we're looking forward to it, really. Hopefully we get a few groundhopper visits as well because they'll be able to tick off they saw Moneyfields play away from Moneyfields. I think it's the first 'home' game we've away from Dover Road.’

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The meeting with Shaftesbury on Saturday will be the first of two 'home' Wessex Premier matches Moneyfields will have at the Victory Stadium in the space of just five days, as second-placed Bashley provide Moneys' opposition at the same venue on Wednesday.

Defenders Corey Heath and Adam Cripps, along with teenager Rafferty Boyd-Kerr, are all unavailable for the weekend clash with Shaftesbury. Both Elliott Turnbull and James Franklyn remain sidelined with groin issues.

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