Moneyfields aim for formbook-shredding home win against Wessex League title hopefuls Bashley

Matt Tubbs celebrates after completing his hat-trick for Pompey at Cambridge in February 2015. Tubbs has recently signed for Wessex Premier League club Bashley who visit Moneyfields on Tuesday.

Since the turn of the year, Moneys have won just one of their eight Wessex League Premier fixtures at Dover Road.

Of those eight games, only two - Horndean (2-2) and Baffins (2-3) - have been against clubs in the top 10.

But on Tuesday (7.45pm) they welcome a Bashley side who have put themselves in title contention by rattling off eight straight league wins.

In seven of those games Bash have netted three or more goals, with the other win a 2-1 success at AFC Portchester.

While Bash can’t stop scoring, Moneys can’t stop conceding - the 3-3 home draw against Fareham at the weekend stretching their run to 22 league and cup matches without a clean sheet.

‘We need every player to be a seven out of 10 and a few eight and possibly nine,’ said assistant manager Fraser Quirke.

‘If we are, we’re a match for any club in the league.’

Moneys are currently ninth,12 points adrift of the top six, with 10 games - a quarter of their league season - left.

Though they were not expecting a title challenge in their first season since dropping back into the Wessex from the Southern League, they would have hoped to have been higher at this stage.

‘You can say we’re a team in transition, you can say a lot of the players are getting used to playing at step 5 level,’ Quirke added. ‘But we do need to be more consistent in terms of quality.

‘I think Hamworthy will win the league and they’ve had the same squad for a long time - that’s where their quality and consistency comes from.

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‘We had hoped to be in and around the top, but that’s not how it’s panned out this year.’

Top scorer Steve Hutchings provided Moneys with a boost against Fareham by coming on as a second half sub - after missing 10 league and cup games through injury.

Hutchings has the best goals per game ratio of any Wessex League Premier player in 2021/22, having netted 23 times in just 17 starts plus one as a sub.

Elsewhere, 22-goal attacking midfielder James Franklyn remains out ‘for the immediate future’ with a groin injury.

In contrast, Bashley have their leading goalscorers Lewis Ross (19) and Harry Bunce (15) fit and in form.

The New Forest club also pulled off a coup last month by signing former Pompey striker Matt Tubbs.

Now 37, Tubbs has made three sub appearances for a Bashley side whose winning run has also coincided with the signing of Poole Town winger Sam Jackson.