Day of firsts as Moneyfields hand Liss a second nine-goal thrashing of the Hampshire Premier League season

*Defender Stanlie Hopkins was playing his first game since being the victim of a violent assault in a Cosham pub car park in late October.

*Jack Chandler, Mackenzie Toms and Tyler Moret were all making their first competitive starts for the reserves this season.

*Former Worthing midfielder Taylor Keens was introduced as a second half sub - his first HPL outing for the club.

*Finally, midfielder Harry Bedford came off the bench for his first competitive minutes since before the pandemic struck.

Bedford was returning to action on a Saturday for the first time since suffering an ACL injury in a US Portsmouth training session on the back pitch at Dover Road in July 2020.

That was the first training session US were having since Covid restrictions had been lifted, allowing grassroots sport to return.

Moret struck a hat-trick on his first HPL appearance, while Mig Dark netted three times against Liss for the second time in 2021/22.

Toby Toman - who had netted four times in the 9-1 away win at Liss - and Kieran Dowell were also on target as Moneys remained ahead of Denmead on goal difference at the top of the table.

‘Comfortable was an understatement,’ declared Moneys boss Lee Mould. ‘On another day, it could have been double that.’

Toms has joined the club from Aldershot’s academy to gain experience of men’s football, while Keens - once on Brighton & Hove Albion’s books - has started a new challenge after time out of the game.

Chandler left US Portsmouth to join Moneys before Christmas, and had made his reserve debut in a 5-0 friendly loss to Hythe & Dibden’s first team the week before.

As for Bedford, Mould expects him to remain in the HPL squad for the rest of the season to build up his minutes.

Denmead remain level on points with Moneyfields with both teams having nine games left of their debut HPL Senior campaign.

Top scorers Kieran Hammond (2) and Ryan Chandler gave Denmead a 3-0 home win over Liphook - extending their unbeaten league run to 19 matches.

Hammond now has 17 goals for the season - four more than second top scorer Chandler.

Denmead are one of three clubs who have applied for promotion to Division 1 of the Wessex League, along with Fleetlands and Stockbridge.

Moneyfields are not eligible for promotion as the club’s first team are currently in the Wessex League Premier.