If it ain’t broke, don’t break it – new Petersfield boss Connor Hoare not planning any major changes to playing style

He aims to carry on championing the philosophies installed by predecessors Joe Lea and Pat Suraci as the Rams return to the top flight of the Wessex League following play-off glory in late April.

Basically, if it ain’t broke, don’t break it!

The 27-year-old was quickly appointed Petersfield boss earlier this month after Lea and Suraci leapt three tiers up the non-league pyramid to join Gosport Borough.

Hoare suffered a knee injury playing for Moneyfields in the final of the Portsmouth Senior Cup at Fratton Park in May 2021. Having been injured in the first half, he played the rest of the game.

Subsequently diagnosed with a rare bone marrow edema condition, medical advice suggested a long lay-off.

‘The doctor said it would be a two-year break and not to do any running in the first year,’ Hoare recalled. ‘But I got back a lot quicker, it was just a year out.’

After recovering from that injury, Hoare joined his former Privett Park colleagues Lea and Suruaci at Love Lane last summer.

He made 41 league and cup starts - no one at the club made more - as the Rams reached the Wessex Division 1 play-offs.

There they defeated both Newport IoW and New Milton Town away from home on penalties to clinch a return to step 5 football after a five-year absence.

Hoare told The News: ‘The club wanted to keep the same direction going, and they thought I was probably the best person to do it.

‘I was captain last year, I know the philosophy that Joe and Pat wanted and what the players were used to.

‘I joined last year as I’ve known Joe and Pat since we were at Gosport together. I’ve known Pat since we were teenagers. When they said they were coming here I said I’d help them out as a friend.

‘I’ve ended up loving it here.

‘If anyone else had come in, it would be silly to change what was so successful last season.

‘My philosophies are the same at Joe and Pat’s - I want to see exciting possession-based, intense football.

‘I won’t set any targets. We’re definitely not going to win the league but I believe we can be competitive.’

Hoare’s first major decision was to persuade Callum Glen to decamp from Wessex Premier rivals Moneyfields to join as his player-assistant manager.

It was a decision which stunned Moneys boss Glenn Turnbull, and showed Hoare means business in his new tole.

‘That’s a big statement,’ Hoare declared. ‘Callum could have stayed at Moneyfields next season and won the league, but he wanted to come here.

‘He sees himself as being in management one day, so this aligns with what he wants to do in the future. It was almost a no-brainer.

‘With the age we are, having taken this on, it’s definitely a long-term thing for us. We want to be here for a long time.’

Another key signing has been Steve Weston, who joins as a coach having previously been a Wessex League Premier assistant boss to Steve Leigh at Baffins and Tom Grice at US Portsmouth.

Weston was introduced to Hoare by Glen, with the coaching to be shared out between the three of them.

Hoare is hopeful of keeping the bulk of the promotion-winning squad together.

While most non-league managers always like to take some players with them when they move clubs, how many will follow Lea and Suraci from Petersfield to Gosport remains to be seen.

‘The Southern Prem would be a shock to many players from three levels below,’ said Hoare. ‘The same players there are either physically brilliant, technically brilliant or tactically brilliant.’

Whether he can keep hold of last season’s two leading Rams marksmen - Archie Greenough and Alex Barsa - remains to be seen.

Greenough, who netted 22 times, was on a dual registration from AFC Portchester while 18-goal Barsa could be in demand from higher tier clubs.

Hoare might also have to do without the midfielder who was third top Petersfield goalscorer in 2022/23 with 10 goals - himself!

Asked if he will carry on playing, the new boss - who won the Wessex Premier title with Blackfield in 2018 - stated: ‘Not if I can help it, no.’