Former Gosport Borough and Horndean midfielder Liam Kimber makes goalscoring debut for Hayling United alongside his twin brothers

The midfielder - who has played in the Southern League for Gosport Borough - has stepped down to the foot of the Hampshire Premier League to add some much-needed experience.

Having started the season at Horndean, Kimber made one start for Baffins Milton Rovers before deciding to play alongside his twin brothers Owen and Callum, who are dual signed with Hayling from Horndean U18s.

While the teenage twins started on the bench at Overton at the weekend, Liam was deployed as a false No 9 in the first half before switching to a No 10 role after the break.

Liam crowned his debut with a goal as Hayling, bottom of the HPL Senior Division on goal difference, conceded a late leveller to draw 2-2. Jack Bishop was also on target.

Owen came off the bench to play at right-back while Callum was used on the right side of midfield.

‘Birms (Horndean boss Michael Birmingham) asked me if we’d look after the twins for a while, and we’re happy to try and develop them,’ said Hayling boss Dan Bishop.

‘I was talking to Liam and his dad and Liam said he’d like to come in and help develop his brothers. They can see we’re trying to do things the right way here.

‘It’s been difficult because we’ve been chucking them in with other youngsters. In an ideal world, you’d have had a few wiser, older heads.

‘You could see Liam’s played at the level he has, it was good to have someone like him taking the pressure off the younger lads, who have been taking pressure off the even younger lads!’

It’s a youthful Humbugs squad this season, with 17-year-old Ciaran Hards having been a regular in goal following an early season broken leg suffered by Barney Conaghan.

‘It’s been a tough time, you can see that by the results. The table tells one story but from the inside you can see what we’re trying to do. I’m really proud of the lads.

‘In three or four years time we’ll have a very good side who are comfortable in any situation. We just need to get there.’

Hayling won their opening HPL game of the season, 1-0 at Winchester Castle, and followed that with two goalless draws.

But after three clean sheets in a row, Conaghan suffered a hairline fracture of a leg.

Though he will need an operation and a metal pin inserted at some stage, he is now back in action - returning at Overton, and conceding for the first time this season.

‘At Overton I had an experienced side out, but it was still basically an under-23 side,’ said Bishop. ‘The core of my side, players who have been with me for three years, are all around 22 - that gives it a bit of perspective.’

Bishop is planning to bolster his squad with a couple of more experienced players in the coming weeks. They have either played in the Wessex League or the HPL.