COMMENT: Preview of the 2022/23 Wessex League Premier – is THIS the season AFC Portchester live up to all the expectations?

AFC Portchester boss Dave Carter believes he has pieced together the best squad of a Wessex League managerial career that began at Horndean in the noughties.

That is some statement, bearing in mind he was in charge at Moneyfields for four Southern League seasons (only two of which were completed due to the pandemic, but including one play-off finish).

But even a quick glance at the squad that will be tasked with achieving Portchester’s Holy Grail illustrates Carter’s confidence.

Take a gander at the starting XI for last month’s friendly at Southern League Premier South outfit Salisbury …

Steve Mowthorpe (step 4 regular for Moneyfields and Chichester City), Tyler Giddings (step 4 regular for Moneys), Elliott Wheeler (step 3 regular for Gosport last season), Ashton Leigh (step 3 regular for Bognor Regis, ended last season at step 3 side Gosport Borough), Marley Ridge (played at step 3 for Gosport Borough), Curtis Da Costa (ex-Swindon Town pro), Olly Searle, Ryan Wilkins, Brett Pitman - Brett Pitman! - James Cowan (former Airdrie pro), Felipe Barcelos (step 4 regular for Thatcham), Liam Robinson (step 3 regular for Blackfield & Langley, played at step 3 for Gosport Borough, 21 goals when Blackfield won the Wessex title in 2017/18).

And among the subs - George Barker (ex-Brighton and Swindon pro, 16 goals last season for Portchester), Sam Pearce (step 2 regular for Hawks and Gosport) and Jake Raine (step 4 regular for Moneys).

The likes of Conor Bailey and Jake Hallett - two more former Southern League regulars - weren’t even in the squad that night.

Not bad for a Wessex League side! No wonder they thrashed their two divisions higher 6-2, a result which followed a 1-0 friendly success at another Southern League Premier South club, Dorchester Town. A 1-1 draw against three tiers higher Hawks followed.

Ok, friendly results are always declared meaningless by managers, and for good reason. But a six-goal win at two tiers higher opponents can’t do any harm, it can only add to the feelgood factor sweeping around the club which accompanied Pitman’s arrival.

Even without the former Pompey forward, Portchester would have been among the favourites to win the Wessex League Premier in 2022/23.

But the audacious capture of a man with 181 EFL and Championship goals is very much the cherry - an apt metaphor for an AFC Bournemouth favourite! - on top of a heavily iced cake.

The Royals have never hid their ambition of following the likes of Gosport, Sholing, Winchester, Wimborne, Poole and AFC Totton out of the Wessex and into the Southern League.

The forthcoming campaign will be the club’s 11th in the Wessex Premier since they followed Division 1 champions Verwood up into the top flight in 2012.

For all their ambitions, the Royals have never seriously looked like winning promotion to step 4.

Their best finish was in 2014/15 when they finished third, 14 points behind champions Petersfield Town. That was the season Jamie Musselwhite was the Royals’ top league scorer with 16 goals - six more than teenager Andy Rinomhota, who has left Reading to sign for Championship rivals Cardiff this summer.

Portchester were also third when 2019/20 was abandoned in mid-March due to the pandemic. At the time, they were nine points adrift of leaders Alresford with two games in hand, but Christchurch were only two points behind them having played two games fewer.

Carter is the fifth permanent manager at Portchester since they first arrived in the Wessex top flight, after Glenn Bridgman, Graham Rix - who was in charge when they finished third in 2015 - Ian Saunders and Mick Catlin.

Last season, his first in charge, saw the Royals finish 27 points adrift of champions Hamworthy. Not for the first time, a poor start cost Portchester dearly - Carter’s men winning just seven of their opening 18 league games, losing the same amount.

After a 5-3 loss at his former club Moneyfields on November 20, the Royals won 14 and lost just three of their last 22 matches - and the games they lost were to promoted pair Bashley (twice) and Hamworthy.

But despite that run of 47 points from 66 - which if repeated over the course of an entire campaign is title-winning form - Carter’s men could still only finish seventh.

Hence the need to strengthen, and Portchester have certainly done that. They may have lost their two leading league scorers from last term - Lee Wort (who scored 30 times in the Wessex as part of a 40-goal campaign) and Rafa Ramos (who netted 13 times in 15 starts since a mid-season switch from Blackfield) - but they are undoubtedly stronger all-round.

As always, only the Wessex Premier champions will win automatic promotion in 2022/23. But the next four finishers will enter the lottery of the play-offs. At this moment in time, it is impossible to think Portchester won’t be in the top five.

Horndean and Moneyfields are two other Portsmouth area clubs who will also have eyes on the play-offs.

Again, like Portchester, both have strengthened.

Horndean raided Baffins Milton Rovers in the wake of Shaun Wilkinson’s departure, signing Lee Molyneaux, Tommy Scutt, Rudi Blankson, Ethan Gee and Tommy Patterson.

Boss Michael Birmingham certainly has some attacking riches with Blankson - Baffins’ top scorer last term - joining Connor Duffin, Zac Willett and Harry Jackson in the squad. Duffin (41 goals) was the Wessex Premier’s top scorer in 2021/22 with Willett (38) not far behind in his first season at step 5 after joining from Paulsgrove.

As well as having the second best attack in the division - 116 goals - the Deans also possessed the second best defence (43 goals conceded). Though two centre halves have since left - Jack Lee returning to Moneyfields and Louie Martin retiring - Birmingham has brought in the highly experienced pair of Molyneaux and Tom Jeffes. They will compete with Luke Dempsey and Chad Field for a centre back place.

It is a new era for Moneyfields, with the John Jenkins Stadium development - complete with 4G pitch - hopefully completed by early to mid October.

For the club’s second season back in the Wessex, boss Glenn Turnbull has recruited across his squad’s spine - goalkeeper Tom Price, centre half Lee, central midfielder Harry Sargeant and centre forward Callum Laycock.

Defence was the main area of concern in 2021/22. If the saying ‘clean sheets wins titles’ is true, it is no wonder Moneys finished down in ninth place - they only kept eight in 40 league games, and just one against a top eight club in 16 fixtures (0-0 v Bashley).

The likes of Steve Hutchings, Laycock and James Franklyn - all 20-plus goals last term - will again ensure Moneys are potent enough up front. If Lee can help shore up the defence on his return to the club, a top five finish could well be on the cards.

Baffins Milton Rovers will no doubt be happy with a top 10 finish following Danny Thompson’s summer rebuilding programme.

Only three players who ended last season at the club were part of the 18-man squad who travelled to Godalming for a friendly last Saturday.

In contrast, Fareham Town have been the least active in the summer signing stakes among local clubs.

Goalkeeper Luke Deacon - great grandson of former Pompey chairman John Deacon - has arrived from Sholing and Navy defender Saul Thorpe has moved to the area.

Against that, defender Archie Wilcox has joined Winchester City and striker Gary Austin has ‘officially’ retired.

Completing the area’s Wessex Premier contingent is a club who dominated the local non-league headlines in April and May 2021.

US Portsmouth were a penalty shoot-out away from a historic appearance in the FA Vase final once a three-month national lockdown had been lifted.

Promotion from Division 1 followed, as part of the FA’s restructuring, but a mass exodus of players and management to Moneyfields left US with a huge rebuilding job ahead of their debut step 5 campaign.

It was to former manager Tom Grice’s eternal credit that US never looked like being sucked into a relegation battle, though they finished with a whimper - banking just three points (all draws) from their last 11 fixtures.

Fraser Quirke - assistant boss when Moneys’ Wembley dream was shattered - has returned to the Victory Stadium as manager.

He is realistic enough to know that, with no budget, he is at the bottom of the Portsmouth region’s Wessex Premier pecking order.

With that in mind, a season spent in the relative anonymity of mid-table would be a great achievement.

Last season, Amesbury and - for most of the season - Hythe & Dibden struggled to pick up many points. As a result, US were never in any relegation danger.

The 2022/23 Premier, on paper anyway, looks a lot stronger. Hythe, certainly, will expect to do a hell of a lot better while promoted trio Bemerton Heath and Laverstock - the only two Wiltshire clubs now in the top flight - should be competitive.

And it’s not just about the Portsmouth area clubs. Shaftesbury - third last season - may have lost boss Ollie Cherrett but players such as Asa Phillips, Ash Pope and Luke Delaney remain in north Dorset. Stoneham, too, have established themselves as a top seven club in recent times.

As ever, though, the cream will rise to the top. I expect AFC Portchester and Horndean to be right up there challenging for a Southern League place. Hardly a shocking admission but, like Dave Carter’s at the start of this article, one hard to disagree with either.