History was made for Hartpury FC on Saturday as they stepped out in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South for the first time.
The team, which represents Hartpury University in Gloucestershire, one of the UK’s top university football programmes, has made outstanding progress in recent years, going from Step 7 to Step 4 since 2020 and reaching the Isuzu FA Vase semi-final last season.
On Saturday they headed to Winchester City, a club that was two levels above them last term, and despite holding a half-time lead, they eventually went down to a 2-1 defeat, but there were plenty of positives to come out of their first foray into Southern League life.
“Obviously, we were disappointed to come away from the game with nothing to show for our efforts,” said Sol Kent, last season’s Young Player of the Season. “That said. It’s another milestone ticked off both in terms of the history of the club and my own personal career.
“Winchester City are a proper outfit having just come down from Step 3, so to play in front of a big crowd, playing a good standard of football, has got us all looking forward to the season ahead and the adventures that we are going to have in this League.
“It's always hard to take positives from a loss because, at the end of the day, winning games is how we are really going to establish ourselves this season. However, in the first half we rode waves of Winchester attacks well and we were clinical at the other end to get ourselves in front.
“There are areas to improve on in both boxes, but we kept creating chances during the second half. In the end it was two lapses of concentration which allowed our hosts to get two goals and take the win.
“This is something we know that we have to be aware of this season; mistakes are much more likely to be punished than previously.
“As for my own performance, it was more of a defensive game for myself. I typically like to be more of a dynamic full-back, trying to affect the game in both boxes. But on this occasion, with it being our first game of the season and away from home, game management was very important.”
So, how much is the youngster looking forward to the challenges ahead this season?
“I'm personally really excited for this season,” he added. “I feel like we've got a really good group that is going to have another successful year.
“I think a lot of people may see us as inexperienced or naive, but I feel like we have a different dynamic to other teams in the League.
“Yes, we're going to have the youngest squad in the League and for me personally, spending two years in a successful Clevedon Town side prior to Hartpury, I understand that having experience in a dressing room is invaluable.
“We’ve got some really good characters here and some top players in the squad this year who have all bought into the ambition we have for this season.
“We are under no illusions that this season is going to be a step up, both physically and technically. That 'never say die' attitude we possessed so much of last year to snatch points in the latter stages of games is going to be vital for us to take into this campaign.
“Every single game is going to demand a lot from us as a team, but we demand a lot from each other in every training session and every matchday anyway, so maintaining the standards we set for each other as a group is going to be a key factor in building momentum this season.
“We’re not going to be shy about what we want to achieve this season; with the combination of quality and fortitude, there is no reason why we can’t be challenging for the play-off places.
“We also have our own internal targets as a group at various stages of the season, but it is safe to say that we are not coming into this League merely to make up the numbers.”
They begin their home games against Bristol Manor Farm on Tuesday evening.
IMAGE: Hartpury FC
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