Former Paulsgrove and Infinity manager Wayne Grant takes over at Hampshire Premier League club Meon Milton

That’s the hope of club officials after the former Paulsgrove and Infinity manager was appointed Meon boss just before Christmas.

Grant has replaced ex-Gosport and Moneyfields player Bik Singh, who was relieved of his duties last month after a miserable 2-1 Hampshire Premier League Division 1 loss at lowly Lyndhurst.

Singh had led Meon into the county league, winning the Mid-Solent League in 2020/21 - only losing one game in the process.

Ironically, Singh’s last league win as Meon boss was a 4-2 success against Infinity on October 22 - the penultimate game that Grant oversaw prior to his departure from the club now based in Sidlesham, Sussex!

Meon have only played one league game since losing at Lyndhurst on November 12 - Lee Adams taking charge of a 3-0 victory over Michelmersh at Cockleshell Gardens a fortnight later.

‘I approached Wayne,’ Meon official Matt Hickey told The News. ‘He was the type of person we wanted, he’s a nice fit.

‘He’s big on youth development, trying to sort out a pathway to men’s football, and he’s got the experience of managing at higher levels. That’s what we want because that’s where we want to be, and we need someone with experience to make it happen.’

Meon boast one of the biggest junior sections of any south Hampshire club, with over 30 teams. The aim is to ensure the best players stay at the club.

‘We’ve got two good under-16 teams this year and the plan is to form them to make an under-18 team in the county league next season,’ said Hickey.

‘Wayne will be hands on with regards the youth development and putting in place a nice pathway.

‘We don’t want to lose kids when they get to 16, which is something I’ve seen happen down the years.

‘We want to get our reserves out of the (Mid) Solent League and put them in the (Hampshire) Combination - but we can’t do that until the first team progress.’

Meon’s reserves, under player-boss Joe Stevens, are currently unbeaten in the Mid-Solent this season.

The only way they can join the Combination is if Meon’s first team finish in the top two of their division and are accepted into the HPL Senior Division.

Grant, who was in charge of Paulsgrove for the two pandemic-affected seasons, inherits a squad currently fifth, seven points behind second-placed Hook with two games in hand.

They still have to play fourth-placed Netley twice and Hook once. But Grant’s first game, on January 7, will be a home Hampshire FA Trophy tie against Eversley & California Reserves.

‘The aim at the start of the season was to get promotion, and that’s still the aim,’ said Hickey. ‘The target is to finish in the top two. It’s definitely on, we’re not giving up on it.’