‘I was really, really proud of them’ – Hayling United  produce one of the shock results of the Hampshire Premier League season

Dan Bishop’s lowly side travelled to fifth-placed Stockbridge - who had only lost once at home in Senior Division action this term - and won 3-0.

After winning just three of their first 20 league fixtures - two of which were against rock bottom QK Southampton - the Humbugs have now won two in a row following last weekend’s 3-1 victory at Liss.

Right-back Cain McCabe-Holmes, winger Harry Frost and the versatile Brendan Ebieri were on target on Wednesday evening.

‘It’s been a tough season,’ said Bishop. ‘But we’ve got a lot of faith in what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.

‘The positive is that we’ve been able to give a lot of youngsters game time and that can only set us up well for next season.

‘Availability is getting better - it seemed at one point almost everyone was either injured or suspended.

‘I would love to keep this squad together. At Stockbridge we were 50 miles from home, it was hammering it down with rain, the pitch was super heavy, we were low on confidence, but we didn’t stop for 95 minutes.

‘The players were an absolute credit, I was really, really proud of them.’

Ebieri was brought in by Bishop earlier this season as a centre half, but due to the conditions was deployed up front at Stockbridge. But when Luke Wheatcroft was forced off with a hamstring injury, he dropped back into defence.

At Stockbridge Hayling were without Charlie Smith and Phil Lawless, two more players who have arrived this season and who had both scored at Liss last weekend.

Smith was formerly at Fareham Town - where he was converted from a centre half to a striker - while Lawless, who is in the Navy, was introduced to Hayling by Luke Channer.

Channer came to the club as a centre half but came on at Stockbridge in the No 10 position, the first time he had played that role under Bishop.

The manager added: ‘We’ve got Dan Lewis, who’s only a teenager but will go a long way. We’ve been able to give him games and watch him develop and grow.

‘Josh Cooper is another one, he will end up playing two or three leagues higher but he needs to start somewhere.

‘Then there’s Kieran Hards, who’s 17 or 18 and is going to be an absolutely fantastic goalkeeper.’

Elsewhere at Hayling this season, the manager’s son, Jack, has moved to Australia while Neville Farley might not play again due to a knee injury.

Hayling are inactive this weekend but return to action at home to defending champions and current table-toppers Colden Common at Front Lawn next Wednesday (8.15pm).

On April 1 they then host Paulsgrove, aiming to avenge a 7-0 drubbing at Marsden Road in December.