Ex-Gosport boss Craig will help bring best out of Baffins
Baffins Milton Rovers manager Shaun Wilkinson believes new signing Craig McAllister will help bring the best out of his squad as they aim to sustain their Wessex League Premier title push in the new year.
Vastly experienced McAllister, 41, completed his move from Southern League Division One South Lymington last week.
Wilkinson's latest striking addition arrives at the PMC Stadium having played in the Football League with Exeter while he also had spells with Crawley,
Eastleigh and Newport in the top level of non-league football.
McAllister had a spell as Gosport Borough playermanager for the 2018-19 season as well as winning promotion from the Wessex Premier with Blackfield and Langley in 2018.
And Wilkinson, whose side sit fourth in the Wessex Premier ahead of their league trip to Portsmouth rivals Moneyfields today (3pm), reckons McAllister's arrival is a major boost.
The Baffins boss said: ‘I’ve known him a long time, he’s a great target man, he looks after himself well - he’s a bit like Lee Molyneaux where they’re still playing later on in their career.
‘He (Craig) instantly makes people around him better because he’s that type of character. He’s been a coach, he’s been a manager, he’s played at a top level, he’s just another real good character to add to the group.
‘He’s something different as a striker than what we’ve got. It was evident in the Hamble game, the pitches have changed, the ball is going a little bit longer, I just feel we’ve got the players who can work off him.’
Wilkinson has no fresh injury concerns as Baffins prepare to action after an 18-day enforced break when they take on Moneyfields at Dover Road.
Meanwhile, Moneys, who were 5-1 winners in their league visit to Cowes Sports on December 28, expect to have both leading scorer Steve Hutchings and Harry Birmingham back available after stints in isolation with Covid.