What an exciting time for Hawks fans! After a slow start to the campaign everything is now taking off.
After a masterly 4 -1 winning performance on 4 February in the Quarter-Finals of the FA Trophy against strong Skrill Premier Opponents Aldershot Town, Hawks eagerly await the two leg semi final showdown with local rivals Gosport Borough for a place in the Cup Final at Wembley. Manager Lee Bradbury said “We [still] have two difficult games with Gosport to negotiate.†He added that he never went to Wembley as a player but going as a Manager would be great. He is aware that for everyone at the Club and the supporters it would be a day out to remember. On a salutary note, the club did reach the Semi-finals of the FAT once before only to be denied a trip to the final. So come on Hawks lets do it this time and with some style! The Semi-Final dates are Saturday 15 February at Westleigh Park with the return a week later on 22 February at Gosport’s Privett Park ground. Both matches kick off at 3.00 pm.
There was a large crowd for the match in spite of the downpour and high winds and was reminiscent of the FA Cup game against the now Premiership club Swansea City that coincidently also ended in a 4 – 1 victory for the Hawks.
As if all that was not enough, Hawks also face a home Semi-final match in the Hampshire Senior Cup against AFC Portchester of the Wessex Premier League, to be played on a date to be agreed in the w/c 3 March. The other side of this Semifinal draw is Gosport Borough v Basingstoke Town.
The best news of all coming out of the Club is that manager Lee Bradbury has just signed a contract extension, keeping him at the Club until May 2016.
It is important, with so much going on, to keep in mind the effect that the inclement weather is having on the Hawks in the League. Due to the incessant rain they have played only two league matches in 2014. The log jam has inevitably dropped them down the Conference South table but Hawks are still well placed to contend for a play-off place with six - eight games in hand on most opponents. It will however be a testing time.
The team faces playing three times a week for most of the remainder of the season and the resilience of the squad and the management skills of Lee Bradbury and his staff will be tested to the full. On this front, with the club earning a sizable addition in revenue from their FAT cup exploits, Scott Donnelly, has been added to the squad from Farnborough. Donnelly is currently amongst the top scorers in the Conference South charts and will be a useful addition to bolster the Clubs goal scoring options.
For all the latest news and action online go to the club’s record breaking official Website at: www.havantandwaterloovillefc.co.uk