Boss Fraser Quirke hails ‘massive achievement’ of US Portsmouth winning Wessex League relegation fight

After beating Hythe & Dibden 3-1 last Thursday, results went USP’s way at the weekend.

Now either Pagham or Bournemouth Poppies will take the second relegation slot alongside rock bottom Alresford.

Pagham will be relegated if they fail to beat Baffins at home, while Poppies will go down on goal difference if Pagham win and they lose at home to Moneyfields.

Those permutations mean USP can journey to Laverstock & Ford for their final fixture on Tuesday with the pressure well and truly lifted.

Asked if he had become concerned that his team could be relegated, Quirke told The News: ‘Yeah, definitely.

‘The challenge for a club like ours, with no budget, is always to find a way to craft enough points to stay up.

‘It did get a little bit tense, particularly when we threw away points at home to Portland and Blackfield.

‘When we beat Hythe there weren’t any wild celebrations, just a sense that we should be ok. And then results went for us on Saturday.’

He added: ‘I was told the other day that we’ve lost 17 points from winning or drawing positions this season. Even a fraction of those would have made us comfortable in the last month. I know the quality is there.

‘We can offer good coaching, good facilities and a good camaraderie, the only thing we haven’t got is a few quid.

‘For anyone not motivated by money but who is motivated by playing football, with the right level of attitude and application, this is a good place to play step 5 football.’

For a club like USP, Quirke admits it is key to give chances to players who might not have huge opportunities at other local clubs whose ambitions lie in promotion challenges rather than purely survival.

Danny Burroughs and Harvey Aston - signed from Moneyfields and AFC Portchester respectively this season - are prime examples.

‘Danny probably made 30 starts in three seasons at Moneyfields,’ said Quirke. ‘He’s made over 30 starts for me this season.

‘Harvey is another one, he wouldn’t have played anywhere near 30 games if he’d stayed at Portchester.

‘I feel our recruitment has been quite good this season.’

Aston has made 36 starts for USP in all competitions – only Shawn Benjamin (39) has made more. Burroughs has made 32 and scored 12 goals, making him the the club’s top scorer.

Quirke, meanwhile, knows he needs new defensive recruits for next season, as two of this term’s regular rearguard are leaving.

Benjamin will miss most of the 2023/24 campaign through Naval commitments while University student Ash Thompson’s course is finishing soon.

Cameron Quirke, Liam Kelly and Sam Emeney are unavailable for Tuesday’s trip to Laverstock, but Reece Frost, Josh Bailey and Harvey Tanner come back into contention.