Denmead bid to keep meteoric rise going by applying for promotion to the Wessex League

The club were only playing in the Meon Valley Sunday League as recently as 2018/19.

But a stunning first half of their debut Hampshire Premier League top flight campaign has led them to consider another rise up the non-league pyramid.

Last weekend’s 2-0 win over leaders Moneyfields has left Denmead three points behind Moneys with a game in hand.

As it stands, Moneys are unable to win promotion to Division 1 of the Wessex League because the club’s first team play in the Wessex Premier.

Denmead have been playing home games on the 3G surface at the Hampshire FA facility at Front Lawn, in Havant, since being elected to the HPL ahead of the 2019/20 season.

Their record over two pandemic-hit campaigns saw them promoted - along with Moneyfields - into the Senior Division last summer.

After hammering Hayling United 7-0 in their first game, Denmead then lost 3-2 at home to Liss. But they haven’t been beaten since, with the victory over Moneyfields extending their unbeaten league run to 17 games.

‘If you’d asked us at the start of the season where we’d like to finish, we’d have taken anywhere in the top seven,’ said Denmead secretary Simon Strickland.

‘We didn’t expect to be doing this well. Credit to all the players who were here before and the new ones that came in last summer.

‘It would be unfair on the lads (not to apply for promotion).’

Denmead know improvement work is needed to bring Front Lawn up to the required standard for Wessex Division 1 (step 6) football.

A covered area would need to be erected, though seats are not a prerequisite at step 6. At present, spectators can only stand on one side of the pitch, and a second area - almost certainly behind the goal at the carpark end - would need to be opened up.

Secure access from the changing rooms to the pitch would also need to be put in place.

All work at Front Lawn will have to be approved by the Hampshire FA, who own the site. But it would be in the governing body’s best interests to upgrade the facilities in a bid to attract more teams to play there.

At present, Harvest - who play in Division 1 South East of the HPL - use Front Lawn on alternate Saturday afternoons with Denmead. But Harvest will have relocated to a new HQ at East Meon by the time the 2022/23 season starts.

In order to be considered for promotion to the Wessex, Denmead will probably have to finish above Fleetlands and Stockbridge. Both those clubs applied for promotion last year but lost out to Infinity and Bush Hill.

Applications for possible promotion to the Wessex must be in by the end of this year.

Denmead can solely concentrate on the league in 2022 as they are out of all cups.

They were beaten at Moneyfields in the first round of the HPL Cup in September and earlier this month lost 2-0 in the Hampshire FA Trophy at Shanklin.

The hosts - unbeaten in the Isle of Wight League this season - fielded a strong XI including Baffins Milton Rovers striker Alex Przespolewski.

In addition, Denmead withdrew from the Portsmouth Senior Cup. Drawn at home to Fareham Town, they were told by the Portsmouth FA they had to switch the tie to Cams Alders as Front Lawn did not meet Wessex League ground regulations.

That was despite Denmead having hosted Moneyfields - then in the Southern League - in the same competition in September 2020.

‘We also didn’t want to risk any injuries,’ said Strickland. ‘We’re happy it was the right choice.’