Covid, a shock loss and an FA charge – a dismal week for Moneysfields boss Glenn Turnbull

Dec Seiden in action for Moneyfields during Tuesday's shock 2-0 home loss to Hamble Club. Picture: Dave Bodymore.

First, he tested positive for Covid and had to self-isolate.

As a result, he missed Tuesday’s Wessex Premier home game with Hamble - and suffered ‘torture’ receiving updates from people at Dover Road as Moneys surprisingly lost 2-0.

Then he received notice of an FA misconduct charge in the wake of being sent off for dissent to the referee during last week’s home draw with Horndean.

Turnbull is now waiting to find out the severity of his punishment, be it just a fine or a fine and a touchline ban.

In any case, he misses this Saturday’s home game with fast-improving Christchurch due to self-isolation guidelines.

Defeat against a Hamble side who had lost at struggling Hythe & Dibden last Saturday came hot on the heels of a fine victory at Shaftesbury.

‘It doesn’t ring true that you can win at Shaftesbury and then put in a performance like that,’ Turnbull stated.

‘Fraser (Quirke, assistant) said nobody was more than a six out of 10, but I’m told a few were lower than that.

‘In this league if you’re all a six or seven out of 10 ordinarily you’ll win, but if everyone’s below that it’s going to be hard.’

Central midfielder Danny Burroughs could get a chance to stake a claim for a regular first team shirt against Christchurch.

Burroughs has only started three competitive games this season, but comes into contention as Matt McGlinchey is working abroad and Jordan Pile suffered an Achilles injury against Hamble.

Turnbull fears McGlinchey could have played his last game of the season due to working in Abu Dhabi.

‘Danny’s been unlucky,’ said the boss. ‘He’s had Covid, he’s been injured, other people have been playing well. But now he has a chance to grab the shirt.’

Christchurch are one of the Premier Division’s in-form teams. They suffered a horrendous start to the season, with a new-look squad, but have only lost one of their last eight league games.

In that run they drew with leaders Horndean and third-placed Baffins and beat fourth-placed Brockenhurst. Priory have also kept five clean sheets in those eight games.

Moneys will still be without 23-goal top scorer Steve Hutchings, who has a knee injury.

Turnbull said his talisman could be sidelined until the February 16 league meeting with Blackfield & Langley.

That will also rule Hutchings out of league games against US Portsmouth, Hythe and Portland and a Portsmouth Senior Cup tie against two tiers lower Hayling United.