Baffins squad coming together after big summer of rebuilding
Baffins Milton Rovers boss Danny Thompson has acted quickly to plug the many holes left in his squad following a summer exodus.
Thompson has been forced to embark on a rebuilding programme in the weeks after being appointed as Shaun Wilkinson’s PMC Stadium successor.
From last season’s squad, he has lost eight faces to fellow Wessex League Premier Division clubs - captain James Cowan, top scorer Rudi Blankson, Lee Molyneaux, Tommy Scutt, Harry Sargeant, Charlie Williamson, Ethan Gee and Tommy Patterson.
‘That’s football, it was always going to happen - and especially when a manager leaves,’ said Thompson, who had been Wilkinson’s assistant.
New faces so far are Kelvin Robinson, Rob Evans, Frankie Paige, Ryan Kennedy, Joe Johnson, Brad Gale, Charlie Oakwell-Boulton and goalkeeper Roux Hardcastle.
George Burgess has been tempted back to Baffins after moving to Horndean last season, while Miles Everett (Chichester City), Blu Boam and Dale Mason (both US Portsmouth) have returned after spells elsewhere.
Thompson has also signed on a handful of last season’s Hampshire Development Under-18 East division champions, who will form part of a new Baffins reserve team playing in the Hampshire
Combination Premier.
The boss is particularly excited about landing Robinson, who scored 30 goals across the Wessex and Hampshire Premier Leagues last season.
The Gosport-based striker ended as the HPL topflight’s leading marksman in terms of league goals, despite only playing 13 times for Fleetlands - during which he struck 19 times.
Robinson - a former Fareham Town reserve regular - also scored 11 league and cup goals for Baffins’ Wessex Premier rivals Hamble Club. ‘I’ve been keeping tabs on Kelvin for a while,’ said Thompson. ‘He’s similar to Jason Parish - he’s big, tall, strong, he’s got a bit of pace, he holds the ball up well, and he’s got an eye for goal.’
Johnson is another forward option, having scored 11 goals in 37 appearances for US Portsmouth - no-one scored more for the club - in 2021/22 following his switch from AFC Portchester.
Evans is set to replace Williamson at right-back after leaving Moneyfields for a new challenge.
Paige, at US Portsmouth for the last few seasons, is another who can play at rightback or in midfield while Kennedy – Petersfield Town’s captain last season – can operate at centre half or in centre midfield. He is the brother of former Gosport midfielder Charlie Kennedy.
Oakwell-Boulton is a centre-half with a striker’s eye for goal - with the defender bagging 17 goals (including penalties) in 19 appearances for Isthmian League Chichester
City’s under-23s side during the last campaign.
Gale is a central midfielder who has Southern League experience with Winchester City, and who played against Baffins last season during a 20-game stint with Blackfield & Langley. While teenager Hardcastle has been signed to provide competition to last season’s regular goalkeeper Konrad Szymaniak.