Boss Turnbull in favour of more Friday night football when Moneyfields eventually return ‘home’ to Portsea Island
Due to the delay in completing the John Jenkins Stadium development, Moneys are having to play home Wessex League fixtures at Havant & Waterlooville’s Westleigh Park.
And due to Hampshire Premier Leaguers Clanfield already having an existing groundshare deal in place, the majority of Moneys’ fixtures in PO9 are having to be played on a Friday.
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Hide AdSo far they have played eight times at Westleigh Park, with five of them on a Friday - the latest a 5-1 win over Laverstock & Ford.
‘Fridays are brilliant,’ said Moneys boss Turnbull. ‘I’ll be having a word with Pete (Seiden, chairman) about whether we can play any next season (at the John Jenkins Stadium).
‘Other teams have told me they’ve enjoyed it (Friday night football), I suppose it depends on whether the league agree.
‘If everyone loved it, it would become a Friday night league!
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Hide Ad‘Maybe it’s because it’s novel at the moment, but it’s good for the gate - we had nearly 180 (178) against Laverstock.
Moneyfields struggled to get attendances of that size when they played in the Southern League.
‘On a Saturday we’re all in the same melting pot,’ Turnbull added. ‘Maybe we’d get a few Fareham fans, for example, if we were playing Baffins on a Friday. And the Westleigh is a proper pub, maybe you get a couple of people there sticking their heads in.’
Turnbull, meanwhile, was forced into an early system change after Laverstock had gone ahead early on last Friday.
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Hide Ad‘They were much the better side for the first 15 minutes, we couldn’t really cope,’ he stated.
‘I changed it completely from the 4-2-3-1 we’d started with.’
Ryan Pennery was moved up from the three to play alongside striker Callum Laycock, with Charlie Bell dropping from the three into the two alongside Callum Glen and Jordan Pile moving into the three.
After Laverstock had a penalty appeal for a foul by Jack Lee waved away, Moneys took control.
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Hide AdThey were 3-1 up at half-time with Laycock taking his seasonal tally to 23 with a brace and Bell also on target.
Moneys defender Harry Birmingham and a Laverstock player were booked just before the interval, with more words spoken between the teams as they made their way to the changing rooms.
‘I said at half-time it was paramount we kept 11 players on the pitch,’ Turnbull remarked.
‘Cally Glen had already been booked and straight away in the second half he committed another foul. The referee said that was his final warning, so I had to take him off.’
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Hide AdHarry Sargeant moved from right back into central midfield, with Jack Chandler coming on at right-back.
A quickfire double from Pennery completed Moneys’ second five-goal home win in a row - Alresford having been beaten 5-2 the previous Friday.
‘We could have been two down early doors,’ said Turnbull. ‘But after that first 15 minutes, I didn’t think 5-1 flattered us. We were much the better side.
‘Jack Lee had a header cleared off the line, so did Harry Birmingham, and Callum Laycock missed a chance for his hat-trick later on that was easier than the goals he scored.’
Club record goalscorer Steve Hutchings is back from holiday for next Saturday’s Wessex trip to fast-improving Blackfield & Langley.