COMMENT: Five things I’m eagerly looking forward to in the 2021 sporting calendar ...

1 Hawks’ promotion push

Paul Doswell arrived at Westleigh Park in May 2019 shortly after Hawks’ stay at the top table of non-league football had lasted just one season.

He signed a three-year contract with one goal - to get the club back into the National League within that timeframe.

Despite signing virtually a whole new squad, he was confident of winning promotion from the NL South in his first season.

Hopes of automatic promotion were ended by the pandemic, though in truth Wealdstone were looking champions-elect.

Hawks had to make do with the play-offs, and did more than most to lobby the authorities to ensure they were played (albeit behind closed doors). Ironically, they then promptly lost in the semi-finals at home to Dartford.

Doswell immediately began rebuilding his squad again, but due to the pandemic and an FA Cup run to the second round Hawks are now playing catch-up.

They have had a decent start, winning five of their nine league games, and possess players - Tommy Wright, Moussa Diarra, Josh Taylor, Ross Worner and Roarie Deacon to name just a few - more than capable of playing in the National League.

Due to its ‘elite status’, the NL South season should be completed, which is more than can be said for the non-league game below step 2.

Providing Hawks can get some momentum - admittedly hard to find in a season which has been (and could continue to be) stop-start due to Covid-related postponements - there is no reason why they can’t be challenging for the title come the end of May.

2 FA Vase

Ever since I covered Wimborne’s Wembley success over Guiseley in 1992 for the Western Gazette - the paper that gave me my first job - I’ve been a big fan of the Vase.

Subsequently, I’ve ‘won’ it four more times - twice while working at the Express & Echo in Exeter (Tiverton triumphant in 1998 and 1999) and twice at the Daily Echo in Southampton (Winchester in 2004 and Sholing in 2014 - and AFC Totton were beaten finalists in 2007).

Locally, US Portsmouth are through to the last 32 and Fareham Town will join them if they win their delayed third round tie at Plymouth Parkway.

Realistically, it is asking a lot to imagine myself at Wembley later this year watching either side in the Vase final.

USP have already beaten three higher tier clubs so far, and chances are they will have to beat another four to reach the final. Clubs from step 6 rarely reach the latter stages, and US are the first from the second tier of the Wessex to progress to the last 32.

As for Fareham, they face a ferociously tough task at the Western League leaders just to reach the fourth round.

But the beauty of cup football - be it the FA Cup, the Trophy or the Vase - is the vast array of shock results they perennially throw up, so who knows how far USP and Fareham can go?

The main question at present is when their next ties will be played, due to the tier 4 restrictions now in place. While I suspect league campaigns will be scrapped, the governing body must surely attempt to complete the Vase. Anything else would be a dereliction of duty.

3 England v Scotland

As a nation, we are certainly in need of having our spirits collectively lifted in 2021 after the seemingly never-ending miseries of the past 12 months.

And who better to provide a sporting pick-me-up than the England football team?

The delayed 2020 European Championships will hopefully provide a similar feelgood factor to Euro 96. And this year, as was the case in 1996, there’s an England v Scotland clash at Wembley to savour.

Just thinking about Gazza’s famous goal - amazingly 25 years ago now, where does the time go? - raises the hairs on the back of the neck.

When I was growing up, England used to play Scotland every year in the Home Championships. Now the meetings are less common, just seven in fact since 1989. And that’s why I can’t wait for June 18 to come around - hopefully with some fans inside Wembley.

4 The Ashes

In the same way England v Scotland is football’s oldest - and therefore ultimate - rivalry, so in cricket it is England v Australia. For many cricket-lovers, it is the only series that really matters.

We all have our sporting bucket list, don’t we? Watching the Ashes in Australia has forever been on mine.

I was 17 when Mike Gatting skippered England to victory Down Under in 1986/87. That seems a long time ago now. Since then, we’ve only won once in eight series in Australia - whitewashed 5-0 on two of our last three visits and crashing 4-0 in the other one.

But the memories of the victorious 2010/11 series still burn bright - 517-1 declared, Alistair Cook’s torrent of runs, winning the last two Tests of the series by an innings.

We’ll have to wait until November for the rivalry to commence again, but that just gives extra time to heighten the anticipation.

5 Time to become the bride ..

Allow me to spin you a sob story that will melt even the coldest of hearts.

Though I work for The News, I’m not a local lad - I’m from the west country. My two sporting loves are Exeter City (football) and Somerset (cricket).

No-one deserves to celebrate success more than me in 2021. This is why ...

City have conspired to lose three of the last four League 2 play-off finals at Wembley, while Somerset have remarkably finished runners-up 11 times in recent years.

We finished second in the County Championship in 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2019 AND lost in the final of the Bob Willis Trophy last summer. In addition, we lost the T20 finals in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and we lost the one-day cup finals in 2010 and 2011.

So while I wish everyone some sporting success in 2021, surely no-one would deny me, having just read that phenomenal list of near-misses, a long-overdue promotion, cup final win or Championship title?

Or preferably all three ...