Gosport Borough sign AFC Totton pair in bid to end dire Southern League Premier South run

Centre half Harry Medway has returned to Privett Park while former ELF striker Brett Williams has also left AFC Totton to add some much-needed experience.

Gosport have nosedived into the bottom five of the Southern League Premier South after picking up just one point in eight games. And they only managed a 2-2 draw against Dorchester due to a late Dan Wooden leveller.

Medway was part of the Boro squad under Craig McAllister that just avoided relegation in 2018/19.

He has captained Totton in the past few years, but has not played much competitive football since August due to injury.

The former Hawks regular did dual sign for Wessex League leaders AFC Portchester recently, to try and gain some match fitness, but did not appear for the Royals.

‘Harry gives us that will to win,’ explained Kneller. ‘He wants to defend, he enjoys defending. He’s got that physicality we need, a bit no-nonsense.

‘Harry is a character and characters are what we need at the moment, he’ll give us a bit of nous.’

Medway is due to train with Gosport for the first time tonight and could go straight into the starting XI for Saturday’s home league game with Chesham.

Matt Briggs and Ryan Woodford are other experienced options at centre half in the Boro squad.

Sam Magri appeared as a second half sub last weekend, but he has now returned to parent club Hawks.

Up front, Williams - who turns 35 next month - will provide another experienced option the squad was desperately lacking following the departures of Matt Paterson (to Bognor) and Harvey Bradbury (Dorchester).

Wooden has been left to carry the central striking duties on his own in recent weeks, despite carrying niggling injuries on occasions.

‘We expect Brett to make an impact,’ said Kneller of a striker who played in the EFL for Rotherham, Northampton and Stevenage.

Williams also scored regularly for Aldershot and Torquay after returning to the non-league scene - he had started out at Totton and Eastleigh - before signing for Totton in 2020 after leaving Weymouth.

Kneller said other new signings could be arriving soon, with talks having already taken place with clubs.

‘We need willing runners, we need some physicality and we need lads who are up for a fight,’ the caretaker boss declared.

Having started the post Shaun Gale era with a 4-0 home drubbing by Bracknell, life does not get any easier for Gosport this weekend.

Privett Park visitors Chesham have only lost one of their last 13 league matches, and are looking to complete the double having won 2-1 at home in August.

‘Chesham will be physical and will be up for a fight,’ said Kneller. ‘We need to match their physicality.

‘Our players are capable, they honestly are, but we just need some points to get that belief into them.’

Regarding his own role, Kneller said: ‘Conversations have taken place, but I’m just taking it one week at a time. I can’t look too far forward.

‘The chairman (Iain McInnes) said he wants continuity in the group, be it myself, Jake (Wigley, coach), Steve (Manning, goalkeeping coach) or the players.

‘There’s been interest in the (manager’s) job, but it’s not gone out to application yet.’