Match Preview: Southern League Premier South
Havant & Waterlooville vs Basingstoke Town
When: Saturday 30th November 2024 Kick-off 3pm
Where: Westleigh Park, Martin Road, Havant, Hampshire PO9 5TH
Havant & Waterlooville (The Hawks), Avg 2024-25 Home Att 702
We are back on the road tomorrow afternoon against a team Havant & Waterlooville that we have not played in a competitive league game since March 2016, when we drew one-one at the Camrose in the old Vanarama National League South division.
Our Opponents
The Hawks are managed by Shaun North, who joined the Hawks in a new role from neighbours and now EFL Championship side Portsmouth FC after working in John Mousinho’s EFL League One title winning side last campaign. He brings a wealth of experience to the Hawks possessing in surplus of 20-years coaching with Pompey across multiple spells amongst other coaching and Management experience.
Havant after a slow start now sit in fifth place with their record sitting at Pld 17 Won 7 Drawn 6 Lost 4 and 27pts. They have won their last two league games against Winchester City and before that Tiverton. Their home form sits at 2 Wins, 3 Draws and 4 losses. Last time on the road was a big defeat at league leaders Merthyr, but many have suffered that. Their leading goal-scorer is Harvey Bradbury with ten league goals. Like many other players, Bradbury is a product of Portsmouth’s academy, but just 25, he has EFL pedigree under his belt having played for Portsmouth, Watford, Oxford United, Millwall and Morecambe but also knows the rigours of Non-League having been at clubs such as St Albans City, Hungerford, Woking, Oxford City, and others and most recently Chatham Town. Note he has missed the last couple of games. 28-year-old striker Ryan Seager has eight league goals, and came through the set-up at Southampton which is where he would stay until 2019. Having featured for the Saints U21 side from 2012. He had loans spells at Crewe Alexandra in 2015/16, then 6 months with MK Dons in League One scoring 4 in 22 appearances. He joined Yeovil Town, before moving abroad to SC Telstar (Netherlands). More recently he has been at Hungerford Town & Dorking Wanderers, before returning to Havant at the end of 2023. Striker Callum Kealy has four league goals, and returns to Westleigh Park for his second stint in a Hawks shirt after departing in October 2023 under previous management.
The midfield contains Leon Maloney, with three goals, and who was a Portsmouth academy attacking winger, who joined from AFC Totton. Nigel Atangara has returned to Westleigh Park ten years after he left for Portsmouth. In that period he has played in France & Spain, as well as Leyton Orient, Cheltenham and others. Keane Anderson was with Aldershot in their U19’s before breaking into the first team. He has seen loan spells with Leatherhead, Kingstonian, AFC Totton and Sholing. Young Harry Sidwell (18), played a key role in AFC Wimbledon’s FA Youth Cup run last season. Son of former Arsenal, Reading and Chelsea player Steve, he has joined the Hawks this season.
McNerney, 34, was another addition to the Hawks in the summer of 2023 having joined from Woking, a club where Joe spent the vast majority of his career. A central defender, who also spent six years at League Two Crawley Town in 2015. Brendan Willson was an U19 player at Eastleigh joining Eastleigh’s Development Squad from Wimborne Reserves. Now 20, he signed for Havant in June 2024 for the upcoming season. Josh Dockerill, 19, came through the academy with Portsmouth where he has developed his trade under Hawks Head Coach Shaun North, but was snapped for the 2024-25 season. Reuben Austin, 19, played his youth football locally with Portsmouth before moving to Worthing’s Under 18 set up. Another player that manager Shaun North has brought into Havant’s squad. In goal will be Ben Dudzinski, who started his career with Durham City before joining then EFL League Two side Hartlepool in July 2016. Ben had a short-term loan spell with Darlington before he joined Lowestoft in July 2017. He was brought back to the club after a previous spell in 2018/19. He also played for Dartford and last season Eastbourne Borough.
Our Basingstoke Town Side
Despite the one-sided victory against step 7 minnows Hook in the North-Hants Cup, we now return to league action with a big need for a result following three consecutive league losses and some fairly average performances. Last Saturday’s loss against then twentieth placed Tiverton Town means our winless run in the league now sits at seven games and dropped us to ninth in the table. Our record now sits at Pld 17 Won 5 Drawn 8 Lost 4 and 23pts. A lack of goals in the league continues to hamper us, but the return of Dan Warre who scored within five minutes of his return last week, added to Robbie Gallagher & George Reid’s recent return should give us more goal-scoring options to help Liam Ferdinand who has been leading the line gallantly pretty much on his own recently. The surprise return of Ashleigh Artwell Tuesday, could mean he will also play some part in the matchday squad tomorrow. Add Brody Peart who was absent Tuesday, plus Jonny Efedje who has had some playing time recently, then we have a number of options for the first time in a while. Listening to Dan Brownlie’s post-match interview, where George Reid & Robbie Gallagher complement each other, then you would assume they would both start tomorrow afternoon.
The club made some changes on Thursday releasing two players Max Smith and Salhin Abubakar, which means that Sam Deadfield will lead the midfield alongside Rudy Allen. D’Andre Brown is also likely to get a start. Luis Le Paih is likely to be an option off the bench once again.
The defence will once again stay pretty much the same with James Clark partnering Billy Upton, (who should skipper the side once again), in the middle, as I believe Jack Ball’s suspension will finish after tomorrow’s game. On the right will be Markus Johnson-Schuster, whilst Curtis Angell should cover the left-sided defensive duties. Aleks Kokoszka who continues to impress, will be the first option if anything of this changes. Harry Bowden another young academy star, may also be an option off the bench, like last Tuesday’s cup game against Hook.
Simon Grant will be the ever-present keeper between the sticks once more tomorrow.
Tomorrow’s game against Havant will bring us a number of challenges, but we need to get back to winning ways, and with players starting to return from injury, a good strong performance is very much in need.
The club has also announced the retirement of club-legend Simon Dunn, so a big performance against Havant would be fitting thank you to our skipper for all he has done for the club.
Match Preview by Martin French..
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