US Portsmouth boss Turnbull: We’re there to be shot at this season

Brodie Spencer has signed for US Portsmouth after spending last season at AFC Portchester. Picture: Keith Woodland

US were top of the Division 1 table and closing in on promotion to the top flight for the first time in the club’s history when 2019/20 was halted in mid-March.

Turnbull feels they were a ‘surprise’ side last season, but knows that won’t be the case again when the curtain is lifted on the new campaign on September 5 at Laverstock & Ford.

‘This time we’re there to be shot at,’ he remarked. ‘It will be a different scenario for the players to deal with.

‘We’re good enough to go again, but there’s four promotion places up for grabs and none of them are a shoe-in.

‘There’s some good teams in this league.

‘Bemerton probably think they should be in the Premier Division, Andover New Street and Hythe will be strong, and Newport too.

‘I’ve also seen that Downton have had some good pre-season results.

‘We need to get off to a good start. I know we’ll have a blip at some point, but I don’t want us to have a wobble too early.’

Turnbull is hoping last weekend’s 3-0 friendly loss at Hellenic League Premier outfit Westfields will be an ‘eye opener’ for his squad.

US, who had beaten higher division pair Baffins (5-0) and Horndean (1-0) in pre-season, could have lost by a far bigger margin.

‘This could be a tug of the shirt to keep the players’ feet on the ground,’ said Turnbull.

‘They were mustard - we won’t play many teams like them in the next few years.

‘They are competing with Hereford for players, and they’ve got eyes on the Vase - I’d expect them to get to the last eight at least.

‘We were talking about budgets afterwards, and they couldn’t believe my players pay £100 to sign for the club each summer!

‘They allowed us to use their clubhouse afterwards. We sang some initiation songs and their guys said they’d never seen a team with the spirit we have.’

The ‘initiation’ ceremonies were for summer signings Sonny Harnett-Balkwill and Brodie Spencer.

Defender Harnett-Balkwill was at Horndean last season and also played for Hawks in their Hampshire Senior Cup win at Gosport Borough.

Spencer was at Portchester last season - but only made four first team starts - and has been signed to give US extra squad depth.

Downton, meanwhile, have signed striker Lee Vint who scored 28 goals for Verwood last season in Wessex 1.

The Wiltshire club now have two of the top three scorers in last term’s division - TJ Moseley having netted 25 times for Downton.

They gave notice of their potential by beating higher division Portland 5-2 away in a friendly at the weekend.

US’ final two pre-season friendlies are at Wessex Premier side Cowes this Friday and at Littlehampton next Tuesday.

For the first time since March, the club are able to train at their HMS Temeraire facilities this week. Their first home league game will be against Totton & Eling on September 12.