Former Southampton and Newcastle youngster Long extends scoring record for Clanfield in another Hampshire Premier League away success

A month ago the club were trapped in the bottom two of the Hampshire Premier League Senior Division.

Though their Westleigh Park form was fine, Lee Blakely’s side had lost all eight of their away league games.

But it’s been a different story since the cavalry arrived in the shape of numerous new signings from Dover Road.

The 2-0 weekend win at Liphook was Clanfield’s third in a row of the ‘post Moneyfields influx’ era - all of which have come on their travels.

A 3-2 victory at Liss - achieved with only nine men and after Clanfield had fallen 0-2 down early on - was followed by a 4-2 success at Winchester Castle.

Ex-Moneys pair Jake Knight and Olly Long were on target in the second half at a Liphook side who had keeper Sam Devlin red carded in the second half.

Knight opened the scoring, scissor kicking the ball home after a corner hadn’t been cleared.

Long then converted a penalty awarded for a foul on another ex-Moneys Reserve regular, Dan Penfold.

Though Devlin gave away the spot-kick, he was dismissed for the dissent which followed the awarding of the penalty.

Long - formerly of the Southampton and Newcastle United academies - has now scored in all three of his Clanfield starts as the club have moved three points clear of second-bottom Liss.

‘We were in control in the first half but couldn’t seem to go up a gear,’ said Blakely. ‘In the second half we did do that and were comfortable winners in the end.’

Only four of Clanfield’s ex-Moneys men started at Liphook. Brandon Elliott and Micky Viggor were serving the second of their three-match bans for being sent off at Liss, Owen Haly and Harvey Cooper are injured and Jon Kercher was unavailable.

Centre half Brandon Newman, though, was the latest player to be handed his Clanfield debut. Though he wasn’t at Moneyfields, he has played in the City of Portsmouth Sunday League with some of Clanfield’s ex-Dover Road regulars in recent seasons.

Clanfield are due to return to Westleigh Park - their first home game since November 20 - when they host Locks Heath on Saturday, January 8.