Who May We See In The Pitching In Southern Football League in 2023/24? (Wessex League)

A look at who may become members of the league next season from the feeder leagues.

Obviously, the Football Association’s National League System Committee will have the final say on who goes where in the summer and one or two of the following clubs may not end up in the Southern League.

And in some cases, it also may depend on ground gradings being suitable.

However, these are the team’s best placed to be promoted to the league as it stands today.

Wessex League

This season has seen the two teams promoted from the Wessex League in 2021/22 perform extremely well at Step 4 level in Division One South.

Hamworthy United have already assured themselves a spot in the play-offs, whilst Bashley, currently sixth, have a good chance of joining them.

It’s fair to say that current league leaders AFC Portchester are already set up to achieve similar success as they are renowned for being one of the most ambitious clubs in Hampshire.

They are 8 points clear of second-placed AFC Stoneham and 11 of third-placed Horndean, who have four games in hand on them and three on AFC Stoneham.

Possessing some of the best facilities in the area at The OnSite Group Stadium, they are averaging 445 for home games.

Dave Carter took over a manager in February 2021 after leaving league rivals Moneyfields.

Carter’s departure ended a Moneyfields career that began in October 2015 when he left Horndean to replace Miles Rutherford, who had left to take over at Chichester City.

He won promotion to the Southern League at the end of his first full season at Dover Road in 2017.

In the summer of 2022, Carter pulled off a major coup by persuading striker Brett Pitman, who started his career with Cherries, to drop into non-League football for the first time after being released by League One side Bristol Rovers.

The 35-year-old did play 17 games on loan in the Vanarama National League for Eastleigh towards the end of the 2021/23 season, but apart from playing for Jersey sides First Tower United and St Paul’s as a youngster, he spent the next 18 years in the Football League, making 173 appearances for AFC Bournemouth, with 59 goals, 77 with Bristol City and 20 goals, another 88 back with the Cherries, scoring 34 times, 61 and 15 goals for Ipswich Town, 81 and 37 strikes for Portsmouth, 37 games and 11 goals for Swindon Town and then 16 matches and 4 goals for Bristol Rovers.

Despite Carter’s belief the frontman could still do a job in League Two, the Jersey-born attacker was looking to step out of the professional game in order to complete his UEFA A coaching license.

And what a success he has been!

With three league games left to play, Pitman has netted an incredible 49 goals in 41 matches, so surely will pass the 50-mark!

Carter has built a squad full of players with experience at the higher level.

With Pitman bagging most of the goals, Harrison Brook, a young former Portsmouth academy product, has chipped in with 14, whilst Marley Ridge, a former Moneyfields and Havant & Waterlooville midfielder, has 15 to his credit with Isle of Wight product Scott Jones netting 14.

Carter also brought in George Barker, an attacking midfielder with Football League experience having played 4 times for Brighton & Hove Albion between 2010 and 2014, and 13 games for Swindon Town in 2014/15, as well as 4 games at Tranmere Rovers during a loan spell, during the summer of 2021.

His other clubs include Barnet, Havant & Waterlooville, Gosport Borough, Staines Town and Salisbury.

Goalkeeper Steve Mowthorpe was with Carter at Moneyfields and also has higher level experience with AFC Totton, Chichester City and Blackfield & Langley having started out at Southampton.

Steve Ramsey, a former Portsmouth, Gosport Borough and Havant midfielder, and Sam Pearce, the vastly experienced central defender – a three times Hampshire Senior Cup winner who played at Wembley for Gosport in the 2014 FA Trophy Final against Cambridge United, are also vital members of ths squad.

And Carter signed two more recently to strengthen for the run-in.

Experienced centre-back Ryan Woodford joined in February from Gosport.

He started his career at Portsmouth and made regular appearances for their under-18 side before his release from Fratton Park in 2009.

He then moved to Havant & Waterlooville, where he made over 150 appearances before moving to Gosport in the summer of 2015.

After one season at Privett Park, he returned to Havant and was a key member of the side which won back-to-back promotions which took the Hawks up into the National League.

He re-joined Gosport in the summer of 2019.

Midfielder Charlie Bell joined earlier this month from Isthmian League Premier Division side Horsham.

The 20-year-old signed for the Hornets from league rivals Bognor Regis Town.

He had joined the Rocks in July 2021 following his release by League One side Portsmouth.

He was with Pompey for 12 years and played first team football at Fratton Park and had a trial at Premier League West Ham United.

AlthoughHorndean are currently third in the table, they look the most likely to finish second as they trail AFC Stoneham by three points and have three games in hand.

And, ironically, AFC Portchester and Horndean lock horns this weekend!

Whoever finishes second in the table will have to negotiate an away game against a Step 4 side, with the winner booking their Southern League spot for 2022/23 alongside the Wessex League champions.

The Deans are managed by Michael Birmingham, who has been in charge since July 2016.

Birmingham started his career at Portsmouth.

After he was let go he went to Dorchester Town in the 1993/94 season under Stuart Morgan and did well. However, because it was hard for Birmingham to get to Dorchester every week and Jack Pearce wanted to sign him, he joined Bognor Regis Town as an 18-year-old in 1994.

He signed on a Monday and played Southampton reserves the next day and helped Bognor Regis beat them 2-1 and he spent the next 14 years as a regular in the side.

He was in the team in 2002/03 that finished second and finally won promotion back to the Isthmian League Premier Division, and a tenth place finish the following season in 2003/04 season to claim a place in the re-structured Conference South.

In successive seasons he was in the Bognor Regis team that finished ninth in 2004/05 (their highest ever position), 12th in 2005/06 and 12th in 2006/07.

He was assistant manager to Pearce before taking over as player-manager in October 2007 when Pearce stepped down and he saved the club from relegation by finishing in 18th place.

He played 567 games plus 29 appearances as substitute scoring 84 goals before hanging up his boots at Bognor Regis.

At the end of the season in May 2008 he stepped down and moved to Gosport Borough as assistant manager to Alex Pike.

Birmingham hasn’t quite got the plethora of experienced players that AFC Portchester are blessed with. However, last summer he brought in couple of players from neighbouring Baffins Milton Rovers with teenager Ethan Gee and Rudi Blankson swapping the PMC Stadium for Five Heads Park.

Blankson has contributed 12 goals to date and Tommy Scutt 14. But, way out in front with 42 goals from 32 games is former Bosham striker Zack Willett.

Centre-back Chad Field, who began at Portsmouth, has Isthmian Premier experience with Bognor, while goalkeeper Cameron Scott made the switch from Baffins Milton Rovers in the summer of 2021.

Luke Dempsey arrived from Alresford Town at the same time as Scott and ex-Pompey academy graduate Ethan Robb.