OPPOSITION NOTES- Gosport Borough

Gosport sit firmly in the middle of the Southern League Premier Division as they get ready to play Gloucester City for the first time in the league in 2024/25.

A win on Saturday against relegation threatened Poole Town ended a run of five games without tasting success in the league.

New signing Nnamdi Nwachuku helped the Boro' to a much needed three points, a result that has seen them go seven points clear of the relegation zone while remaining 11 points behind the playoff.

It was the first win in charge for former Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth midfielder Danny Hollands who was appointed to the role of player manager replacing the departing Pat Suraci and Joseph Lea who joined last Saturday's opponents Poole Town.

It has been a turbulent season for the Hampshire based side who finsihed 4th in 2023/24 but endured playoff heartache after losing to eventual winners Salisbury 2-1.

Gosport Borough have been playing catch up for the majority of the season after floodlight failures in home fixtures against AFC Totton and Bracknell Town, as well as the usual weather affected matches that has seen them playing three games a week for large parts of the season, including three games in six days at the start of January.

The hosts are placed in a congested part of the table where just two points seperate 9th place Hanwell Town and 14th place Sholing FC and will be hoping they can use their games in hand that they still have on a number of those sides to climb into unlikely playoff contention.

Boro have the same amount of goals scored and goal conceded as Hanwell both having scored 39 the lowest amount in the top half of the Southern Premier Division in addition to having conceded 39 in the league.

On a rolling 10 game basis, Gosport currently sit 13th in the form guide with three wins, two draws and five defeats over that period with a negative goal difference of minus three, although for context they played against title challenges AFC Totton twice in that period, in addition to a tricky away trip down to Havant and Waterloovile and a 1-0 defeat at home to playoff hopefuls Walton and Hersham.

The home side have the 10th best home record in the divison with six wins, four draws and defeats in their 15 home encounters at their home stadium the AEI Stadium.

In their last five home games they have won two wins against Bracknell Town and aformentioned Poole Town, with a draw against the current best form side in the divison Taunton Town, and two losses against Totton and Walton and Hersham.

Two of the home sides star men currently sit on double digts for the season, which only Totton, Havant and Waterloovile, Merthyr and Swindon Supermarine can muster.

Ash Yearwood who turned down interest from National League sides, signing a new deal in December sits on 11 goals, while the talented 23-year-old Alfie Stanley who has emerged as a gem at the level for Dorchester Town and Totton has 10 goals for himself as the duo have contributed to 54% of the sides goals for the season.

The two sides have already met this season in the FA Cup second qualifying round in September, which saw Gosport book their place in the third qualifying round after sending the first match down in Hampshire to a replay.

Tigers top scorer Joe Hanks and Dayle Grubb ensured City had the perfect start in the first half before being pegged back through a brilliant slaloming strike by Yearwood before a 90th minute equaliser by Dan Wooden sent the game to a replay in the dying embers of the match.

In the replay back in Gloucestershire, Borough went through after an early Alfie Stanley strike which he couldn't miss after a mistake by Gloucester loan keeper Nathan Harvey before Bradley Tarbuck gave the away side the much needed breathing space that saw them become the first side to win at the TigerTurf in all competitions in 2024/25.

After a turbulent season so far after coming so close to promotion to National League South, 'Boro fans would love to see continued progression under new manager Danny Hollands and have a storming run to finish the season, before going for promotion again in 2025/26 as they aim to return to the regional divisons for the first time since 2017.

As for now making sure they can juggle their hectic schedule and pulling off a few shocks just like they did in the FA Cup back in September will be enough to ensure this is a successful season come the end of April.