Moneyfields to finish pre-season at Wembley – prior to two months of clocking up the miles with first 12 games of 2022/23 away from home

At present, the club’s first seven Wessex League Premier fixtures are all on the road due to the John Jenkins Stadium redevelopment at their Copnor base.

Factor in cup ties, and Moneys’ opening 12 games could all be away - including several in Wiltshire and Dorset.

Drawn at home to Wessex Premier newcomers Bemerton in the FA Cup extra preliminary round on August, they have had to reverse the tie - sending them on a round trip of almost 90 miles to Salisbury.

The following weekend they are back in the same area to face Laverstock.

Should Moneys beat Bemerton, they will travel to Wimborne - a 100-mile round trip - in the FA Cup preliminary round, another tie where they were originally drawn at home.

September brings weekend jaunts to Christchurch and Portland - the latter a 174-mile round trip, the longest of the league season - plus a midweek ferry trip to Cowes.

There is also an early-season Wessex League Cup trek to the New Forest to face New Milton, while Moneys were today handed home draws – which will need switching – in the Hampshire Senior Cup.

Drawn at home to Millbrook in the opening round, that tie will be switched to Southampton in the week beginning August 8. If successful, Moneys will then travel to Bournemouth Poppies – again, they have been drawn at home - in the second round (week beginning August 22).

Completing a succession of home cup ties which will be switched, Moneys have also had to forfeit home advantage in the FA Vase preliminary round against Whitchurch.

Moneys’ first scheduled home game of 2022/23 is against Portsea Island rivals US Portsmouth on October 8.

Boss Glenn Turnbull and his squad have also hit the road in pre-season friendlies, going to Sussex twice last week - beating Wick 3-1 on Tuesday and Arundel 8-0 on Saturday. Captain Steve Hutchings, playing in his first friendlies of 2022, scored a hat-trick in both games.

After welcoming Downton to Furze Lane tomorrow evening, Moneys wrap up their pre-season games with a 160-mile round trip to face Combined Counties outfit Wembley.

‘I said I’d take the players to Wembley - just not that one!’ quipped Turnbull. ‘It’s another nice local one.’

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Moneys would have racked up even more miles had a friendly at Hereford-based Westfield not been cancelled late on.

Turnbull decided to call it off after Moneys had been let down by a coach company. On ringing round to get some new quotes, the cheapest they were quoted was £2,000.

‘I didn’t want the players driving seven hours to Hereford and back,’ he stated.

The manager is ‘happy overall’ with pre-season so far, given it has not been without headaches. Apart from all the travelling, coach Paul Barton is currently sidelined after undergoing surgery on a knee.

Coach Neil Tomlinson and new assistant manager Joe Noakes have offset Barton’s absence, though. ‘They’ve both been real Godsends,’ said Turnbull. ‘Joe’s got a real affinity with the lads already.’

Midfielder Finn Bello - who Noakes managed last year at AFC Portchester under-23s - has impressed in friendlies.

Turnbull says the youngster, who was on loan to Paulsgrove in the Hampshire League in the last few months of 2021/22, has a ‘real shout’ of being involved in early Wessex games.

That’s because Callum Glenn is suspended for the first two games - after being sent off in last May’s Portsmouth Senior Cup final loss to Gosport - and Jordan Pile misses the same two games through holiday.

Turnbull, meanwhile, has been impressed with his skipper’s attitude during pre-season.

‘Steve always gets a lot of flak because of who he is.

‘His pre-season started the same way it normally does - ie, he didn’t have one.

‘But in the last 10 days he’s done three training sessions and played two games. Cumulatively, that’s probably more than he’s done in the last 13 years of pre-season!

‘He even messaged me saying could he do a one v one session down on the beach. I don’t think I could have asked for much more.’