Baffins Milton Rovers boss Thompson facing ‘tough’ selection issues after Portsmouth Senior Cup win against Petersfield

A much-changed Rovers side recovered from conceding early to beat lower division Petersfield Town 3-2 in the Portsmouth Senior Cup.

Thompson made eight changes to the team that had started the 3-0 Wessex Premier win at Alresford at the weekend.

Christian Bennett put the Rams ahead but Baffins led at the break through Kelvin Robinson and Charlie Oakwell - the latter one of the three players to have kept a starting place.

Joe Johnson increased the lead immediately after the break before Mino Djaura grabbed a second for the visitors.

‘In all honesty, we made hard work of it,’ said Thompson. ‘Petersfield gave it a good go.

‘We were 2-1 up at half-time but it should have been five or six, we missed so many chances.

‘3-2 sounds a close game, but we should have been out of sight by half-time.

‘All the lads who were on bench at Alresford started and I brought back Ed Sanders, Joe Johnson and Owen Scammell (who had played for the reserves last weekend).

‘Perhaps I’m being over critical, making eight changes would have played a small part in the performance.’

Petersfield also made eight changes from the side that started their FA Vase loss at Bridport. Due to having three centre halves on holiday and another one injured, Josh Nace and Matt Dougan were paired in central defence for the first time.

Other players were rested with both eyes on this Saturday’s Wessex 1 trip to Amesbury.

Alfie Stringer, 18, was handed a start while Dylan Holgate, 17, and Alex Hulme, 16, were introduced off the bench.

All three of those players, like goalscorers Bennett and Djaura, are known to Rams bosses Pat Suraci and Joe Lea through their involvement in the Gosport Borough centre of excellence.

Suraci said of the Baffins loss: ‘It was a good game, neutrals would have found it quite entertaining.

‘We were proud of the boys for how they competed against higher division opposition. We did well to stay with them the whole game.

‘We were left a bit vulnerable in defence, but it’s what we had to do.’

In contrast, Thompson is certainly not short of bodies at the moment, adding: ‘I’ve worked out that in terms of what I would call first team squad players, we’ve got 22 - that’s two different teams.

‘You have to utilise your squad, especially in these sort of (cup) games, otherwise players will leave.’

Top scorer Tom Vincent, Brad Gale and Jack Francis were all given the night off against Petersfield.

They all return to contention for this Saturday’s trip to a Brockenhurst side who thumped Premier leaders Bemerton 4-0 away in last night’s Wessex League Cup tie at Moon Park.

That is the first of three league games in eight days for Baffins, with Blackfield (next Tuesday) and Pagham (October 8) to follow at the PMC Stadium.

‘If someone offered me a point now at Brockenhurst I’d snap their hand off,’ said Thompson. ‘If we can pick up seven points in the next three games I’d be over the moon.’

Only midfielder Oakwell is unavailable to face Brockenhurst.

Regarding team selection, the manager stated: ‘It’s going to be tough, but I’d rather be in this position than not.

‘Charlie will be a big loss, he’s been excellent for us.’