Eight new faces as new North era begins with a win
The Shaun North era at Hawks began with a five-goal friendly victory at Westleigh Park.
The former Pompey youth coach has been tasked with bringing the smiles back to Hawks after last season’s National League South relegation.
Seven of his signings were handed a 45-minute runout in Thursday’s 5-0 win over Selsey.
And an eighth, goalkeeper Ben Dudzinski, played the full game - the only member of a 21-man squad to do so.
Leon Maloney, Reuben Austin, Nigel Atangana, Alfy Whittingham and Harvey Bradbury played the first 45 minutes.
Harvey Laidlaw and Mitch Aston appeared alongside Dudzinski and youngster Preston Woolston after the interval, alongside seven trialists.
Ryan Seager - last season’s leading scorer - scored twice in the opening half hour, while three of the trialists were on target in the second half.
Seager was one of just six players who were at the club last season, the others being Devante Stanley, Joe Mcnerney, Brendan Willson, Callum Kealy and Woolston.
Hawks are back in action today with a trip to
Horndean (3pm).
The Deans are also playing twice in three days, after a 3-1 win at Fleetlands.
*
Former Hawks midfielder Steve Ramsey has signed on to play in the Isthmian League for Moneyfields in 2024-25.
The vastly-experienced Ramsey had said he was retiring after making 32 appearances as Moneys lifted the Wessex League title last term.
Ramsey was one of eight players to appear more than 30 times in Moneys’ 38 titlewinning fixtures, starting 27 of them.
He joined Moneys last summer after eight years at AFC Portchester, where he scored 75 goals in 274 matches.
Those stats make Ramsey the Royals’ club's record appearance holder during their Wessex League career and their second highest goalscorer.
Moneys have also kept teenage keeper Freddie Firman, who made his first team debut in last season’s Portsmouth Senior Cup loss at Gosport Borough.
Moneys were due to welcome a youthful Pompey XI to John Jenkins Stadium this afternoon (2pm).