Fleetlands sign former Wessex League title winning goalkeeper

The shot-stopper helped Petersfield to back-to-back Wessex Division 1 and Premier championships and also played 18 games when Moneyfields finished Premier runners-up in 2016/17 en route to promotion.

Shortt has hardly played in the last few years due to his Naval commitments, but is now keen to resume his grassroots career.

Fleetlands boss Rich Bessey was Petersfield’s reserve team boss during Shortt’s successful time in the Rams first XI.

‘I think Baffins and US Portsmouth were interested but I phoned him up and invited him down to the ground,’ said Bessey.

‘I didn’t think we’d get him but he said he likes our set-up and was keen to sign.

‘It’s a massive, massive signing for us - he’s a serial winner.’

Shortt played 28 games as Petersfield won Division 1 of the Wessex League in 2013/14.

The following season he was ever present, playing all 40 games as the Rams stormed to the Premier Division title. He conceded only 42 goals and kept 15 clean sheets.

In 2015/16 he picked up an injury on the opening day of the Southern League season at AFC Rushden & Diamonds. After recovering, he was dual signed by Moneyfields to gain match fitness.

He ended up playing 22 games for the Dover Road club and stayed there the following season, making 18 Wessex League appearances in 2016/17 as Moneys finished second behind Portland but still won promotion.

Shortt returned to Petersfield in 2017/18, but only played four times, and he was limited to a single outing in 2018/19 due to his Naval commitments.

His arrival at Fleetlands comes after key midfielder Tommy Woodward signed on again for 2020/21 and long-serving Paulsgrove centre half Jake Warlow was also sweet-talked into moving to Lederle Lane.

‘Tommy was considering his options,’ said Bessey. ‘He wanted to see that we were creating a team of winners who had a better commitment - that was what let us down last season.

‘We’re doing that - we’ve signed Jake Warlow, we’ve signed Matt Shortt and we’ve signed Rich Carter.’

Carter, a holding midfielder, was previously at Midhurst.

‘We struck lucky with Rich,’ said Bessey. ‘He lives locally, and he’s just become a dad for the first time. He wants to play nearer his family.

‘There could be some long travelling with Midhurst for midweek games.

‘My assistant manager Dean Inman is a good friend of Rich’s and he was able to get him in.’

Having lost last season’s top scorer Matt Andrews to Baffins, Bessey was initially ‘really panicking’ as to where goals could come from.

But he has signed Fareham Town youngster Kelvin Robinson, having previously snapped up Brad White and Steve Duffin.

Robinson netted 22 goals in 21 outings for Fareham reserves last season, but his path to regular first team action at Cams Alders is blocked by Josh Benfield and Gary Austin.

White plundered 41 goals for Mid-Solent Leaguers Wymering in 2019/20, while ex-Horndean striker Duffin is returning to football after a long absence from the game.

Bessey added: ‘We’ve got great people at this club - the chairman Iain Sellstrom, George Mason, Kevin and Jackie Wrapson.

‘I want to try and win promotion for them because they deserve it for all the work they have put in.’

Fleetlands’ first friendly is home to Baffins Milton Rovers next Tuesday, August 4 - a game which spectators can watch.

At present, and until the DCMS say otherwise, all friendlies hosted by clubs who play at steps 1-6 must be behind closed doors.

That means no spectators would be admitted if Wessex Leaguers Baffins hosted Fleetlands, but they can watch the same two teams play at Lederle Lane as the hosts are a step 7 outfit.

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Fleetlands are hoping to stage midweek Hampshire Premier League games under their new lights within a few months.

The lights - previously in use at AFC Stoneham’s former ground - are being installed at Lederle Lane this coming Saturday.

Chairman Iain Sellstrom said: ‘Mark Stupple (Stoneham chairman) has been absolutely brilliant, he couldn’t have done any more to help us.

‘The plan is to have them working by the start of September.’

Fleetlands will be the sixth HPL top flight club to have lights - after Hayling, Locks Heath, Infinity, Stockbridge and Overton.

That could be a further boost to the league’s plan to schedule a raft of midweek games for those clubs in September and October - providing they are happy with the extra games - in a bid to ease possible fixture congestion later on.

Fleetlands are also planning to build a new changing room block and upgrade their clubhouse facilities with a view to one day returning to the Wessex League.

They had been hopeful of winning promotion this year but those plans were scuppered by the FA’s controversial decision to null and void steps 3-7 of the non-league pyramid.

The club have had to reapply to the Football Stadia Improvement Fund for grants to cover the above-mentioned work.

The first £50,000, though, is not expected to arrive until October. Once it does, it will trigger another £27,000 grant.

Work on the new changing rooms should start soon, but the clubhouse could have to wait until next summer when a further £50,000 FSIF grant is received.

Sellstrom said: ‘There’s a real buzz around the place at the minute. We’ve signed some great players - I can’t wait for the new season.’

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Fleetlands have appointed Zak Sharp as head coach of their recently-formed Youth Development Programme.

Sellstrom knew ex-Gosport defender Sharp - who left Moneyfields earlier this summer to sign for Baffins Milton - from his time as chairman at Privett Park.

‘Zak once told me that if we were doing anything with youth coaching he’d been interested,’ said Sellstrom.

‘He’ll be taking coaching on Mondays and Fridays and watching the games on a weekend.

‘We’ve also just brought in Scott Miller, who is a goalkeeping coach at Chichester City.’

Fleetlands will field three Development teams in 2020/21 - at under-11, 12 and 14 level - with a view to entering more into leagues the following season.