Will it be third time lucky for trio of new AFC Portchester signings with regards to Wessex League promotion?

Luke Dempsey, Liam Hibberd and Joe Chamberlain have been close to promotion twice in the last three campaigns with different clubs.

In 2019/20 they had helped Alresford to the top of the table and on course for a place in the Southern League when the pandemic struck. They were four points ahead of AFC Stoneham, with a game in hand, and 11 points ahead of third-placed Portchester having played two games more.

With undue haste, the Football Association then declared the season null and void - as they did for all grassroots leagues at steps 3-7.

Alresford manager Richard Luffman and chairman Stuart Munro both decided to quit in the aftermath of the governing body’s controversial decision, and now Royals boss Mick Catlin has used the Magpies’ promotion woes to strengthen his squad for 2020/21.

Prior to last season, Dempsey (37 league starts) and Hibberd (36) were regulars for Andover Town in the 2017/18 Wessex Premier season. Chamberlain - who came through the Eastleigh academy and has also played Wessex football for Folland Sports and Brockenhurst - made 16 starts.

Town finished runners-up to Blackfield & Langley but ended up being relegated after refusing to accept promotion.

That resulted in all three players decamping to Alresford, where in 2019/20 Hibberd (27), Dempsey (25) and Chamberlain (23) were among the top five Magpies with regard to league starts.

‘They were all playing for a side which were top of the Wessex League so they must have been doing something right. It’s not rocket science,’ explained Catlin.

‘They are all experienced players, they’ve seen the set-up we have got and they want to be a part of it.

‘They were part of an Alresford side that I think would have won the league, and we would have pushed them all the way - though we’ll never know that.

‘All three were instrumental in the success Alresford had. When you’re looking at recruitment you tend to look at higher levels or the best players in your league.

‘If Alresford had gone up those players probably wouldn’t have become available. We were able to take advantage of their problems, as most managers would look to do.

‘To get out of the Wessex League you do need experienced players. You do need youngsters in and around as well, but the core needs to be experienced.

‘The youngsters need the senior players to help them mature, and eventually they will be the next batch of experienced players.

‘Senior players are the key to success.’

Ex-Hayling United man Dempsey is primarily a centre half while Hibberd - who once played for Fareham Town - can operate as a full back or in midfield. Chamberlain is a defensive central midfielder.

‘They were all areas we needed to strengthen,’ said Catlin.

While the vastly-experienced manager has assembled a core of players in a similar mould, he appreciates Portchester’s club ethos of promoting youth talent where possible.

One teenager who certainly impressed in 2019/20 was pacy forward Patrick Hnath, who made 13 first team appearances across all competitions and earnt trials at Premier Leaguers AFC Bournemouth, Championship club Reading and Pompey.

Hnath, though keen to realise his dream of becoming a professional, has re-signed and Catlin said: ‘I’m expecting big things next season.

‘We need to bring the youngsters through, the whole club is set up that way.

‘Next season we’ll be playing an under-23 team (in the Wyvern Combination) rather than a reserve team, and hopefully that will mean more opportunities for under-18s to progress.

‘But that’s a long-term plan, it’s two or three years down the line (before players start coming through). The short-term plan is to win promotion, and we have to balance the two.’

Liam Bush has left The Crest Finance Stadium.

The likes of striker Jason Parish, captain Steve Ramsey and goalkeeper Brad Snelling have all re-signed. The latter made more league starts than anyone else in 2019/20, with 27 - the only game he didn’t play saw Charlie Searle, who has just joined Baffins Milton, stand between the posts.

Left-back Liam Bush has been released, though, and could be joining divisional rivals Horndean.

‘We have an abundance of left-sided players, including Joe Noakes and Ellis Martin,’ explained Catlin.

‘It’s the right move for Liam, I don’t want to stunt his development.

‘He played the majority of last season after Joe broke his leg in pre-season and did well, but he wasn’t in the team in our last few matches.

Noakes, meanwhile, will be like the proverbial new signing. Following a broken leg suffered in a pre-season friendly against US Portsmouth last summer, the versatile left-sided player returned in January and ended up making five first team outings (though never completing 90 minutes as his recovery was well managed).

Catlin praised Noakes’ character, saying: ‘I have never seen anyone work so hard to come back from serious injury.

‘Some thought it would be the end of his career when he broke his leg last summer, and it was the knee before that.

‘His grit and determination has rubbed off on the other players. During some tougher moments, he used his injuries as motivation - he was telling the players ‘if I can still be enthusiastic I am sure you boys can.’

Catlin added: ‘We’ve got a few more new signings to announce soon, we’ll definitely have a strong-looking squad.

‘I struggled to recruit last summer because we’d reduced the squad, we’d only just finished mid-table … players always look around to see which team could do well.

‘But we ended up third, we were top of the form table when the season finished, we were pushing Alresford all the way.

‘Next season is not going to be easy, a lot of clubs are doing the same as us.

‘Off the field we have worked hard on the ground. Financially, I think every club will be affected a bit, but I feel we’re in a better position to ride it out, even with a reduced budget.

‘We’re all after the same players really - Baffins, Horndean, us. We will probably start favourites to win the league and the players will have to be prepared for that.

‘They will need to show character to handle that.

‘There’s a lot of good players out there but some can’t handle the pressure. The teams that go up have players that can handle it.’

Like everyone involved in sport - at whatever level - Catlin is eagerly awaiting the days when he can return to a situation once previously taken for granted.

‘I don’t know when we’ll get back to playing,’ he said. ‘I don’t think it’s going to be a quick thing - training will obviously be the first to come back.

‘The lads have been keeping fit, they’re probably fitter than they’ve ever been.

‘But we need to know when next season will start - if you start training too early players can burn themselves out.

‘Pre-season has changed - the days of players not doing anything for six weeks and coming back two stone overweight has long gone. Pre-season is more about getting the sharpness back now.

‘Players are more aware of their bodies now and the fitness issues. Our physio Mark Gibson has given them all personal fitness plans and I know they have a chat group where they compare stats and figures.

‘They’ve been doing their runs and cycling - well, that’s what they tell me! They could just be putting some figures up, I guess I’ll find out when all return to the club …’