‘We’ve got more depth this year’ – Horndean boss Michael Birmingham ahead of new Wessex League season

Since taking charge in the summer of 2016, only once has another Portsmouth area club finished above the Deans in a completed campaign - when Moneyfields claimed runners-up spot in 2016/17.

Take away the two pandemic-wrecked campaigns, and Horndean have finished sixth, fourth, second and fourth again under Birmingham.

And the manager believes his squad is stronger now than they were last season, when they topped the table for many weeks prior to falling away.

Birmingham has brought in five players from divisional rivals Baffins - the highly experienced centre half Lee Molyneaux, striker Rudi Blankson, attacking midfielder Tommy Scutt, youngster Ethan Gee and Tommy Patterson.

Former US Portsmouth skipper Tom Jeffes is another with vast Wessex experience, while Marvin Orepo and Charlie Merritt have stepped up from lower tier Petersfield Town.

‘It’s a long, tough season and you need a good squad, you need cover,’ explained Birmingham.

‘If everyone’s fit and available, we’ve got more depth this year. Last year, especially around Christmas, we didn’t have that depth.

‘We lost back to back games to Fareham and Shaftesbury and then we drew at Christchurch.

‘We missed out on promotion in the end by seven points - and I’ve just given you seven points we dropped.’

Jeffes is suspended for Tuesday’s Wessex Premier opener at home to Moneyfields.

‘They (Moneyfields) have made some very, very good signings,’ said Birmingham.

‘Cal Laycock is a very, very good player. They are spoilt for choice up front - do they play Laycock and The King (Steve Hutchings) together?

‘I’ve heard Moneyfields are taking it seriously - Jack Lee has booked an overnight stay at the Ibis Hotel!’

In terms of strike options, Birmingham is also spoilt for choice. Even more so, it could be argued, than opposite number Glenn Turnbull.

Strike pair Connor Duffin (41) and Zak Willett (38) plundered 79 league and cup goals between them last season.

In addition, Blankson was Baffins’ top scorer with 23 goals in 2021/22 while Harry Jackson netted 28 times for the Deans in 2018/19. Another attacker, Alfie Lis, struck 19 goals that same season.

‘Everyone’s crying out for a good start,’ said Birmingham. ‘But look at Bashley - they came to our place in January and lost 4-2, everyone would have said they were out of it (promotion race).

‘But they only lost one game out of 18 after that and went up. It was a phenomenal run.

‘It’s a case of how quickly you can get the momentum and build on it.’

Horndean, according to Birmingham, have had a ‘tough’ pre-season - featuring games against higher tier Hawks, Bognor and Sholing.

After that, the Deans could certainly have been handed an easier curtain-raiser than a PO derby. And next weekend brings an FA Cup extra preliminary trip to higher division Thatcham Town.

‘They might as well have given us Portchester as well,’ deadpanned Birmingham.

‘I don’t know why we had to have a PO derby first game, though this is my seventh season here and we’ve started with a PO derby four times now.’

The manager has also explained why he was happy to let young midfielder Zac Brownlie join Baffins.

‘He needs men’s minutes and I couldn’t offer him that,’ Birmingham remarked. ‘Baffins is the perfect place for him to go.

‘Baffins are in a good place, Danny Thompson has got an exciting project there – they could have the pick of the best youngsters in the area, and there’s a lot of them.’

Birmingham flooded his Portsmouth Senior Cup teams with under-18s last team – while also fielding younger sides in the Wessex League Cup.

‘We’ll be taking the Portsmouth Cup a bit more seriously now,’ he stated. ‘I’m not going to play youngsters for the sake of it – if they want to play, they will need to be there on merit.’