Preview to Premier Division South Season

The Premier Divisions of the Pitching In Southern Football League start their 2023/24 season on Saturday.

And although one cannot judge form from pre-season friendlies, it will be fascinating to see how newly-promoted AFC Totton and Sholing start off – both having away matches at Harrow Borough and Hendon respectively.

Hungerford Town, relegated from the Vanarama National League South, have a new-look about them and they begin by welcoming Plymouth Parkway to Bulpit Lane.

Didcot Town, who won the Division One Central play-offs, start at home to Hayes & Yeading United, while Basingstoke Town, champions of the Isthmian League South Central make the trek to Devon to take on a Tiverton Town side who have had a late change of management following Scott Rogers` move to become assistant manager at Weston-super-Mare.

Walton & Hersham, who came up with `Stoke as play-off winners, travel south to Winchester City.

Premier Division South

AFC Totton

Manager: Jimmy Ball

2022/23 finish: Champions of Division One South

Main Summer Signings:

Jake Scrimshaw (Eastleigh)
Alfie Stanley (Dorchester Town)

Basingstoke Town

Manager: Dan Brownlie

2022/23 finish: Champions of Isthmian League South Central

Main Summer Signings:

Kai Hobbs (Binfield)
Marcio Neves (Westfield)
Danny Rowe (Hampton & Richmond Borough)

Beaconsfield Town

Manager: Jon Underwood

2022/23 finish: 11th

Main Summer Signings:

Elijah Anthony (QPR
Lenny Farhall (Southall)
Jacob Gardiner-Smith (Hanwell Town)
Sam Granville (Barnet – 6-Month Loan)
Jamie Head (AFC Dunstable)
Johnson Hippolyte (Hanworth Villa)
Dan Newton (Biggleswade FC)
Josh Payne (Hayes & Yeading United)
Ibby Sankoh (Oxford United)
Joe Morrison (Hartley Wintney)
Kyal Williams (Gosport Borough)

Bracknell Town

Managers: Jamie McCurg & Carl Withers

2022/23 finish: 2nd and lost in play-offs

Main Summer Signings:

Zidan Akers (Hartley Wintney)
Liam Ferdinand (Metropolitan Police)
Massimo Giamattei (Binfield)
James Gurteen (Northwood)
Connor Holland (Binfield)
Naheer-Omar Nawaf (Marlow)
Haydon Vaughan (Sandhurst Town)

Chesham United

Managers: James Duncan and Michael Murray

2022/23 finish: 5th and lost in play-offs

Main Summer Signings:

Callum Adebiyi (St Albans City)
Olly McCoy (Beaconsfield Town)
Connor Roberts (Banbury United)
Harry Rush (Hanwell Town)
Luke Warner-Eley (Hayes & Yeading United)
Callum Webb (Beaconsfield Town)

Didcot Town

Manager: Jamie Heapy

2022/23 finish: 3rd in Division One Central and won the play-offs

Main Summer Signings:

Ollie Case (Highworth Town)
Robbie Gallagher (Procision Oxford Academy)
Ciaran Keaney ???
Patrick Osbourne (Oxford City)
Owen Smith (Procision Reading Academy)
Dan Williamson (Basingstoke Town)

Dorchester Town

Manager: Glenn Howes

2022/23 finish: 13th

Main Summer Signings:

Jordan Barnett (Buxton)
Benjani Jr (Yeovil Town – Season’s Loan)
Jake Graziano (Yeovil Town)
Ollie Haste (Yeovil Town – Season’s Loan)
Olaf Koszela (Torquay United)
Alex Moyse (Torquay United)
Leighton Thomas (Hungerford Town)

Gosport Borough

*Managers: Pat Suraci & Joe Lea

2022/23 finish: 17th

Main Summer Signings:

Alex Barsa (Petersfield Town)
Antonio Diaz (Bashley)
Jonny Efedje (Westfield)
Corey Jordan (Aldershot Town)
Harvey Laidlaw (Portsmouth – 3-Month Loan))
Rafael Ramos (Hamworthy United)
Zak Sharp (Petersfield Town)
Toby Steward (Portsmouth – 6-Month Loan)

Hanwell Town

Manager: Chris Moore

2022/23 finish: 14th

Main Summer Signings:

Temi Akinbuyose (Barton Rovers/Stotfold)
Elliot Benyon (Slough Town)
Sam Evans (Bedfont Sports)
Matt Hall (Ware)
Ryan Kirwan (Welwyn Garden City)
George Legg (Thatcham Town)
Jack McKnight (Hampton & Richmond Borough)
Fabio Sole (Metropolitan Police)

Harrow Borough

*Manager: Jordan Berry

2022/23 finish: 19th but reprieved

Main Summer Signings:

Reece Cameron (Flackwell Heath)
Sandro Costa Dias Fernandes (Northwood)
Tristan Francois-Vernal (Egham Town)
Nagheeb Ibrahim (Leverstock Green)
Barsa Mirtahmasebi (Egham Town)
Mack Miskin (Hanwell Town)
Charlie Mitchell (Chalfont St Peter)
Excellence Muhemba (Egham Town)
Stefan Powell (Egham Town)
Lonit Talla (Uxbridge)
Donte Thompson-Prempeh (Chesham United)
Tyler Tobin (Uxbridge)
Reece Yorke (Egham Town)

Hayes & Yeading United

*Manager: Ritchie Hanlon

2022/23 finish: 7th

Manin Summer Signings:

Omar Rowe (Chesham United)
Jack Williams (Hemel Hempstead Town)

Hendon

Manager: Lee Allinson

2022/23 finish: 18th

Main Summer Signings:

Florian Ada (Westfield)
Sam Adenola (Harrow Borough)
George Alfieri (Hadley)
Jason Banton (Brightlingsea Regent)
Kai Omoko Brosnan (Harrow Borough)
Adam Laaref (Hartley Wintney)
Billy Leonard (Harrow Borough)
Dan Matsuzaka (Weymouth)
Jonathan Mengi (AFC Welwyn – Dual Reg)
Blaise Riley-Snow (Ramsgate)

Hungerford Town

Manager: Danny Robinson

2022/23 finish: Relegated from the National League South

Main Summer Signings:

Jack Alexander (North Leigh)
Mike Baker (Yate Town)
Luke Carnell (Thame United)
Karnell Chambers (Stratford Town)
Ryan Clarke (Bath City)
Nathan Davis (Corsham Town)
Michael Fernandes (Farnborough)
Brad Hooper (Swindon Supermarine)
Conor McDonagh (Swindon Supermarine)
Sean Moore (Hanwell Town)
Louie Paget (Farnborough)
Joe Shepherd (Cirencester Town)
Slavi Spasov (Oxford United)
Jack Stanley (Yate Town)
James Walker (Chippenham Town)

Merthyr Town

Manager: Paul Michael

2022/23 finish: 9th

Main Summer Signings:

Tom Hillman (Llanelli Town)
Joe Keeping (Cardiff City)
Aneurin Livermore (Newport County)
Tom Stokes (Newport County)
Joe Woodiwiss (Newport County)

Plymouth Parkway

Manager: Lee Hobbs

2022/23 finish:10th

Main Summer Signings:

Joe Belsten (Tiverton Town)
Alfie Moulden (Guiseley AFC)
Tom Purrington (Tiverton Town)
Henry Wilson (Saltash United)

Poole Town

Manager: Tom Killick

2022/23 finish: 4th and lost in play-offs

Main Summer Signings:

Sam Folarin (Portsmouth – 6-Month Loan)
Cameron Murray (Weymouth)
Luke Nippard (Weymouth)
Destiny Ojo (Portsmouth – 6-Month Loan)
Alefe Santos (Chippenham Town)
Harvey Wright (Hamworthy United)

Salisbury

Manager: Brian Dutton

2022/23 finish: 15th

Main Summer Signings:

Noah Coppin (Weston-super-Mare)
Josh Gould (Swindon Supermarine)
Charlie Gunson (Dorchester Town)
James Harding (Swindon Supermarine)
Josh Hedges (Didcot Town)
Tom Leggett (Hartley Wintney)
Theo Lewis (Cirencester Town)
Aaron Simpson (Chippenham Town)
Jamar Smith (Didcot Town)

Sholing

Manager: Dave Diaper

2022/23 finish: 2nd in Division One South and won the play-offs

Main Summer Signings:

Jake Adams (AFC Totton)
Jake Flannigan (Bognor Regis Town)
Jake Hesketh (Eastleigh)

Swindon Supermarine

Manager: Lee Spalding

2022/23 finish: 6th

Main Summer Signings:

Jake Andrews (Havant & Waterlooville)
Mac Boyd (Bristol City)
Luke Cooper (Barry Town United)
Liban Ibrahim (Paulton Rovers)
Leon Morrison (North Leigh)

Tiverton Town

Manager: Martyn Rogers

2022/23 finish:12th

Main Summer Signings:

River Allen (St Blazey)
Carlo Garside (Saltash United)
Jack Rice-Lethaby (Willand Rovers)
Rhys Thomas (Willand Rovers)

Walton & Hersham

Manager: Scott Harris

2022/23 finish: 2nd in Isthmian League South Central and won the play-offs

Main Summer Signings:

Olly Allen (Dorking Wanderers – Season’s Loan)
Shkyler Burrowes (Metropolitan Police)
Stan Flaherty (Queens Park Rangers)
Jake Frailing (Southall)
Stefan Ilic (Hungerford Town)
Sam Tutt (South Park)

Winchester City

Manager: Craig Davis

2022/23 finish: 16th

Main Summer Signings:

Trevor Caborn (Westfield)
Conor Lynch (Hanwell Town)
Jordan Rose (Sholing)
Jasper Sheikh (Aldershot Town – Season`s Loan)
Sam Steel (US Portsmouth)
Tommy Wright (AFC Totton)

*New Manager