Ground redevelopment work forces Moneyfields to play ‘home’ Wessex League game at Portsea Island neighbours

Turnbull was recently back in the dugouts at HMS Temeraire for a pulsating 3-3 Wessex League Premier Division draw with USP.

Now, due to redevelopment work at their Dover Road HQ, Moneys are to play their final home league game of 2021/22 at their Portsea Island neighbours’ home ground.

Five of their last six league games are away, with the match against Shaftesbury on April 9 set for the Victory Stadium.

‘We’ve got to be out by March 12 for the builders to come in,’ explained Turnbull.

‘We did explore the possibility of switching the Shaftesbury game to their ground. That might sound mental, but the pitch there is so nice. It didn’t bother me but I know it could bother the other teams in the top six who might think it would give Shaftesbury an unfair benefit.’

Moneys have five home league games left at Dover Road, starting with this weekend’s visit of Bournemouth Poppies.

They also have a Portsmouth Senior Cup home tie with two tiers lower Locks Heath to squeeze in before the builders take over.

One potential headache could be in the Russell Cotes Cup. If Moneys beat Brockenhurst in their semi-final in the New Forest later this month, they would stage the final.

Competition rules say the final will be held at the home of their highest-ranked club, with the other semi being between Hamble Club - eight points adrift of Moneys having played four games more - and lower tier Eversley & California.

As it stands, the two 3G pitches being laid as part of the redevelopment work at Moneys’ ground in Copnor should be ready by early August.

‘I’m unsure about the infrastructure,’ Turnbull added. ‘The changing rooms, the clubhouse, if there’s a delay it could be there. It depends what the league and our opponents accept as ok.’

Moneys are selling off bits of Dover Road, with Liss interested in buying the floodlights. The metal railings around the pitch have already been sold, along with benches and other changing room fittings and fixtures.

On the pitch, defenders Tom Cain and Corey Heath come back into the reckoning for Poppies’ visit. Both were rested for Tuesday’s 7-1 Portsmouth Senior Cup final win against Hayling United.

There is an outside chance 23-goal top scorer Steve Hutchings - who has missed the last six games with a knee injury - could be included on the bench.

Turnbull, though, stated: ‘I want Hutch fit for the two semi-finals - anything to the detriment of that I’m not particularly keen on.’