Ryan Pennery’s set-piece stunner gets Moneyfields’ Westleigh Park tenancy off to a winning start

Due to the John Jenkins Stadium development running behind schedule, Moneys will play 18 of their 19 home Wessex League fixtures at Havant & Waterlooville’s stadium.

The majority of those games will be Friday night games and the first of them, against second bottom Blackfield & Langley, was settled by Pennery’s 77th minute set-piece winner.

He took a leaf out of former Everton and Republic of Ireland player Kevin Sheedy in finally breaking down the Watersiders’ defence.

Back in the mid-1980s, Sheedy scored from a free-kick in an FA Cup tie against Ipswich at Goodison Park. Ordered to retake it by the referee, Sheedy proceeded to score again.

Pennery likewise; after his first effort, from the edge of the 18-yard box, was ruled out because the match official said it had been taken too quickly, the striker wasn’t to be denied from his second attempt - curling a shot over the defensive wall.

It was his fourth goal in five appearances for Moneys, his third club of the 2022/23 campaign, and his first since a hat-trick on his first start at Fareham Town last month.

Moneys’ eighth victory in a 10-match Wessex Premier League run lifted them into the top five for the first time during Glenn Turnbull’s reign.

The manager said: ‘It was a good performance, I thought we played well.

‘We were patient, taking our time to get used to the surface - we’d only trained there twice and never played a game on it.

‘We were the only side that were looking to win it, we played really well up until the final application.

‘I don’t remember Dylan (Kramer, keeper) having a save to make - he was freezing, bless him!’

It was Kramer’s third successive Wessex Premier clean sheet and, in all, he has only conceded two goals in his last five outings - both in a 2-1 loss at Shaftesbury.

The nearest Moneys had come in the first half was when Callum Laycock headed a Jack Chandler cross over from close range.

Charlie Bell went through one on one after Pennery had broken the deadlock, but was denied by the Langley keeper.

Former AFC Portchester centre half Craig Hardy came on for his Moneys debut in the latter stages.

Hardy has been playing for Paulsgrove and has only signed Wessex forms for Moneyfields - meaning he can still turn out for Grove in the Hampshire Premier League.

Moneys, meanwhile, were again without striker Steve Hutchings, who was sidelined with an infection.

The club’s record goalscorer has only netted twice all season, with Laycock (17), Chad Cornwell (6) and Bell (5) leading the scorers list. Pennery (4) and Dec Seiden (3) are other goalscoring options.

‘If you took Steve out of any game last season we’d have been in trouble,’ said Turnbull. ‘We didn’t have anyone else coming up with goals.

‘This season the front four - five if you include Chad - are being very effective for us.’

Moneys have a big league game on Tuesday when they travel to sixth-placed AFC Stoneham. The Purples are a point behind Moneys but have a game in hand.