Shaun Wilkinson’s great memories of Hawks and Weymouth ahead of the two clubs’ National League South play-off semi-finals

But the current Baffins Milton Rovers boss believes only one of his former clubs will make it through to the National League South play-off final.

Hawks host Dartford in the first semi-final on Saturday (3pm) with Weymouth welcoming Dorking in the second (5.30pm).

‘I’d say Havant have to be the favourites,’ said Wilkinson. ‘They’ve spent a fortune and are all geared up for the National League. They will be very disappointed if they don’t go up - it will rock them to have to spend another season in the South.

‘I saw Weymouth play at Havant (back in February this year) and they impressed me, they played some good football. Mark Molesley (manager) has really got them going.

‘Dartford should be a National League club, but you’ve got to fancy Havant. I also think Dorking will turn Weymouth over.

‘Home advantage in the play-offs isn’t really much of an advantage if there’s no fans there watching.

‘Both clubs (Hawks and Weymouth) would have had good crowds for these games.

‘Havant’s home form probably cost them automatic promotion, so perhaps the fact there’s no fans there could work in their favour.’

Wilkinson helped Weymouth win the South title in 2005/06, the same season that Garry Hill’s team drew 1-1 in the FA Cup at former European kings Nottingham Forest.

The Terras - four divisions below Forest at the time - lost the replay 2-0 live on Sky.

The following season, 2006/07, the Dorset club were riding high in the Conference National - only for chairman Martyn Harrison to withdraw his financial support in the first few days of 2007.

Boss Hill was sacked and players - who were on full-time contracts - left in droves.

Wilkinson recalled: ‘Weymouth are a massive, massive club. When we played St Albans to win the Conference South we had around 3,500 there.

‘I didn’t realise how big a club they were until I went there. Steve Claridge signed me, I think he paid £10,000 to Havant for me.

‘It was a shame how it ended, we had a really good chance of going up into the Football League.

‘We were all ready to go to Spain for some mid-season training, that’s how well we were looked after.

‘Garry Hill came into the dressing room and said ‘the dream’s over - the chairman’s pulling his money out’.

‘I went straight into the car park afterwards and phoned Ian Baird, and within two days I was back at Havant.’

Wilkinson’s return to Westleigh Park ended up catapulting him into the middle of another great south coast non-league FA Cup tale.

In 2007/08, he helped Hawks beat higher division trio York City, Notts County and Swansea City en route to a famous fourth round trip to Anfield.

‘I had a few good cup runs,’ said Wilkinson. ‘The year after we played Forest at Weymouth we reached the first round and lost to Bury in a replay.

‘The Havant one (in 2007/08) was the best of them all - and we did it the hard way, drawn away in every round.’

Wilkinson was ‘sad’ to read the news that Hawks are ripping up their pitch and installing a 3G surface at Westleigh Park once the play-offs are over.

In doing so, they are joining an ever-increasing band of step 1 and step 2 clubs that have gone down the artificial pitch route.

‘I’m not a fan of 3G,’ said Wilkinson. ‘It’s just a completely different game.

‘They can hire it out to schools etc, so it’s a financial decision more than anything. It’ll pay for itself in a few years.

‘But they don’t allow them in the EFl, so where’s the ambition? I know they’re probably hoping the EFL will change the rules, but it’s a bit of a risk to take.

‘The same company that are installing Havant’s pitch contacted us (at Baffins) to see if we were interested.

‘It’s not my decision to make, but I would have said ‘no’ - those pitches cost around £500,000, where are we going to find that sort of money?’

Wilkinson is eager to start playing pre-season friendlies, so he can start to whittle down his current squad into a competitive outfit for when the 2020/21 Wessex League campaign starts in September.

‘We’ve started competitive training this week,’ he said. ‘I had 32 players there.’

Baffins have arranged a raft of friendlies, but their scheduled home friendly with Dorking on August 1 has been put on hold.

Dorking could well be in the South play-off final that day, but even if they’re not they won’t be visiting Portsmouth until spectators are allowed in.

A FA proposal to admit fans to friendlies has been lodged with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

‘The Dorking game is a financial one,’ said Wilkinson .’It would be pointless to play it behind closed doors.’

Baffins have three home friendlies in a week at the end of August against higher division Winchester City, Chichester City and Worthing.

The latter were top of the Isthmian Premier League when the 2019/20 season was halted in mid-March, and subsequently declared null and void.

Worthing boss Adam Hinshelwood is a former Brighton colleague of Wilkinson, who said: ‘By that time we’re hopeful the government will have allowed fans into grounds.

‘At the moment we can have 22 players who have not been tested going at it, with dugouts not that far apart and subs coming on, but you can’t have people standing 2m apart watching on.

‘It’s madness, there’s no consistency there.’

Wilkinson has praised Rovers chairman Steve Cripps for his work at the ground in recent weeks.

‘He has been up there every night mowing the pitch himself,’ he revealed.

‘He’s been brilliant, but all the committee members have been the same doing all the odd jobs at the ground.

‘When you see the chairman walking around with a mower, it makes you want to do well for him.’

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Baffins will start their fourth season in the top flight of the Wessex League at Alresford Town on Saturday, September 5.

It will be a much-changed Alresford side from the one that led the Premier League when 2019/20 was halted.

Chairman Stuart Munro quit after the FA null and voided the season - he is now on the board at Westleigh Park - and Magpies boss Richard Luffman also left.

Five players - including top scorer Craig Harding and ex-Gosport Borough midfielder Mike Gosney - have since joined AFC Portchester.

Wessex League opening day games

Premier: AFC Portchester v Fleet, AFC Stoneham v Lymington, Alresford v Baffins, Blackfield & Langley v Fareham, Brockenhurst v Cowes, Hamble v Tadley, Hamworthy v Christchurch, Horndean v Bournemouth, Portland v Bashley, Shaftesbury v Amesbury.

Division 1: Andover Town v Fawley, Downton v Alton, Laverstock & Ford v US Portsmouth, Newport IoW v Andover New Street, Petersfield v Folland, Ringwood v East Cowes, Romsey v New Milton, Totton & Eling v Bemerton, Verwood v Hythe. Spare: Whitchurch.

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AFC Portchester have been drawn at home to Horndean in the standout tie of the Wessex League Cup first round.

The Royals won the tournament in 2014/15 and 2017/18 - one of only three clubs to win it twice in the 21st century (the others being AFC Totton and Alresford).

First round (September 15/16): AFC Portchester v Horndean, Alresford v Hamworthy, Andover Town v Bournemouth, Cowes v Brockenhurst, Hythe & Dibden v Newport IoW, Lymington v Baffins, Whitchurch v Portland.

Second round (September 15/16 where possible): Alresford/Hamworthy v AFC Stoneham, Alton v Totton & Elling, Amesbury v AFC Portchester/Horndean, Bashley v Andover Town, Bemerton v Shaftesbury, Cowes/Brockenhurst v Ringwood, Downton v New Milton, East Cowes v Andover Town/Bournemouth, Fareham v Christchurch, Fleet v Romsey, Fawley v Dolland, Hythe & Dibden/Newport IoW v Lymington/Baffins, Laverstock v Blackfield & Langley, Petersfield v Verwood, US Portsmouth v Tadley, Whitchurch/Portland v Hamble Club.