FIXTURES - JANUARY 21st/22nd

Roger Allen • January 20, 2022

Friday January 21st

Division One

Downton 2-2 Laverstock & Ford

Saturday January 22nd

Premier Division

AFC Stoneham 2-2 AFC Portchester

Alresford Town 0-6 Brockenhurst

Alton 3-3 Fareham Town

Baffins Milton Rovers 1-1 U.S. Portsmouth

Bashley 4-0 Amesbury Town

Blackfield & Langley 2-1 Portland United

Bournemouth 6-1 Cowes Sports

Horndean 1-2 Hamworthy United

Hythe & Dibden 1-0 Hamble Club

Shaftesbury 2-3 Moneyfields

Division One

Andover Town 2-0 Whitchurch United

Bemerton Heath Harlequins 8-0 Millbrook

East Cowes Vics 1-2 New Milton Town

Fleet Spurs 1-1 Fawley AFC

Folland Sports 1-1 Andover New Street

Newport IoW 6-1 Verwood Town (at Verwood)

Petersfield Town P-P Infinity

Ringwood Town 2-1 Totton & Eling

Romsey Town 2-0 Ash United

Thankfully no weather problems and all matches completed.

The top game in the Premier Division was at Five Heads Park where, after a goalless first half, Billy Walker and Max Wilcock gave Hamworthy United victory by the odd goal in three over Horndean and narrowed the gap between the two sides at the top of the table to just one point, Connor Duffin with the goal for the hosts. A late goal from Tom Jeffes for US Portsmouth after Craig McAllister had given the home side the lead meant the points were shared at Baffins Milton Rovers and Brockenhurst kept in the title hunt with an emphatic 6-0 win at Alresford. The Badgers were four up at the break and Keiron O’Donnell with two, Christie Ward, Alex Haynes, Jack Smith and Mitch Speechley-Price were the names on the final score sheet.

All square at AFC Stoneham as Callum Laycock and Scott Hills scored for the home side and Marley Ridge and George Barker for visitors AFC Portchester, but Moneyfields went one better at Shaftesbury winning by the odd goal in five. Elliott Turnbull, Dec Seiden and Corey Heath on the Money with Ash Pope and Asa Phillips the home marksmen. Bashley scored four without reply at home to Amesbury – Adam Grange two, Bue Bennett and Lewis Ross – and there were six goals at Alton shared equally with visitors Fareham. The home side were 3-1 up at half time through Oli Graham, Karol Skoczen and Rob Carr but the Creeksiders hit back through Ethan Jones, Ross Kidson and Gary Austin.

Blackfield & Langley defeated Portland by the odd goal in three at Gang Warily; Harvey-Joe Bertrand and Owen Fee against one from Ben Morris – while there was a second half blitz at Victoria Park after Connor Furmidge had given visitors Cowes Sports the lead just after the half hour. Bournemouth levelled before the break and then added a further five goals for a more than convincing victory. The six shooters were Marcus Cullen and Kyle Graham with two apiece and singles from Jamie Wilson and Neemo Nixon. Last but by no means least, Hythe & Dibden moved off the bottom of the table for probably the first time with a single goal victory over Hamble Club courtesy of a second half strike from Ben Lebow. Their midweek goal spree in the Southampton Senior Cup hopefully doing wonders for the confidence.

The Division One programme started on Friday evening with a two all draw between Downton and Laverstock & Ford in front of a staggering attendance of 401, the highest in the Division this season. Sam Howe and Marcel Laptas scored in the first half for the Robins with Chae Sykes notching a goal in each half for the visitors.

Leaders Bemerton bounced back in style from last Saturday’s defeat with an 8-0 rout of Millbrook at Moon Park. Justin Bennett (inevitably) led the way with a hat trick, Ronan Clancy notched two and George Bishop, Jake Burgess and Cameron Roach completed the eight. Millbrook will no doubt be relieved that they do not have to face Bemerton again this season having conceded fifteen goals in the two meetings. Goals from Adam Pattison and Jordon Smith gave Andover Town the spoils at the Portway in the local derby with Whitchurch while Follands and Andover New Street drew one a piece at Hamble. Gus Banhire gave the hosts the lead before Street, who were reduced to ten men for half the game, equalised through Luke Hooper ten minutes from time.

Newport reversed their fixture with Verwood to Potterne Park but overcame any difficulties with a 6-1 victory after the scores had been level at the break. Joe Butcher with three, Josh Younie two and Jordan Browne for the Port and Matt Vining credited with the Verwood consolation. Romsey continued their bid for a top five place with a two goal win over Ash at the AEC Protection Bypass ground – Charlie Rattley and Jack Odam on target – while New Milton returned to winning ways with a best of three goals victory at East Cowes Vics. Noel McCarthy-Gardiner and an own goal with a lone strike from Sam Cant not enough for the home side.

A similar score line at Ringwood, though with the home side coming out on top, courtesy of goals from Joe Petty and Ryan Hamm against one from Joe Steel for Totton & Eling. The final game between Fleet Spurs and Fawley ended one all with a late goal from the home side’s Tom White cancelling out a first half effort from Dylan Knight and the results of those last two matches means that Fleet Spurs have moved off the bottom place in the table to be replaced by Totton & Eling.

Still all to play for in both Divisions with Horndean and Bemerton Heath Harlequins currently leading the way

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AUGUST - CLUBS OF THE MONTH

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Laverstock & Ford are our Premier Division 'Club of the Month' for August, following their exploits in the FA Cup, with progression into the second round qualifying. Liam McConnell's side also enjoyed progression in the FA Vase with victory at US Portsmouth, and commenced their League campaign with a 5-0 success over Baffins Milton Rovers.

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HYTHE FACE BULLDOGS IN FA CUP

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'ONLY THE CAPTAIN' PROTOCOL

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As part of the recent changes to the Laws of the Game (2025/26) approved by IFAB in March, the “Only the Captain” protocol will be applied across all competitions in England starting from the new season. Purpose and Rationale The protocol is designed to strengthen respect between players and referees by formalising that only the team captain may approach the referee to discuss key decisions. The aim is to reduce incidents of mobbing, dissent, and intimidation of match officials — improving the environment for everyone involved in the game. Key Points Normal, respectful interactions with referees are still permitted; however, dissent (by word or action) remains a yellow card offence — even for captains. Only the captain from each team is allowed to approach the referee on major decisions. Captains are responsible for ensuring teammates stay away from the referee during these moments. Referees may delay the restart to allow captains to communicate messages back to their teams if necessary. Additional Details If the goalkeeper is the team captain, an outfield player must be nominated to fulfil this role for referee interactions. A “captain-only zone” of 4 metres will be established around the referee; no other players are permitted within this area. Any non-captain entering this zone should be cautioned for dissent by action. If multiple players enter, at least one must be cautioned, and the incident will be reported to the relevant authorities. Competition organisers are encouraged to introduce sanctions for repeated breaches across the season. National Implementation This protocol will be implemented consistently across: All professional competitions The National League Pyramids County FA-administered football Our approach is to create alignment and consistency from the top tiers to grassroots , improving behaviour towards match officials at every level. Education and Communication We are currently rolling out education for referees, County FAs, Referee Development Officers, and other stakeholders to ensure clear understanding and consistent application. Clarification for Youth, Veterans, Disability, and Grassroots Levels Although IFAB have included an arm signal to initiate the protocol at these levels, in England we will not adopt this . Referees will manage the protocol themselves, using their existing match management skills. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the details further, please don’t hesitate to get in touch through refereedevelopment@thefa.com Article Photo: Ian Grainger

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SUPPORT OUR CHARITY CUP

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The Velocity Wessex League Charity Cup sees Premier Division winners, AFC Portchester, take on fellow cup finalists, Hamble Club at the OnSite Group Stadium on July 26 (3pm). CHARITY CUP - PROGRAMME DOWNLOAD This year proceeds from the curtain raising fixture will go to our charity partner, YoungMinds, who champion mental health and wellbeing amongst young people.