Gosport aiming to enter the play-offs with ‘momentum’
Gosport Borough are reliant on a favour from a club fighting relegation if they are to book a home tie in the Southern League Premier South play-offs.
Boro need to finish second or third to secure a Privett Park tie following a 0-0 draw at Hendon last weekend.
To finish above secondplaced Totton Boro need to beat champions Chesham at Privett Park tomorrow and hope Jimmy Ball’s Stags lose at Dorchester - and they have to overturn Totton’s plus 10 superior goal difference in doing so.
Realistically, therefore, Gosport’s best chance lies in hoping Hanwell - who could still go down - avoid defeat at third-placed Salisbury, while they beat a Chesham side who have lost their last two games since clinching the title.
Co-bosses Pat Suraci and Joe Lea are calling on Gosport’s fans to cheer them to a final-day success so they enter the play-offs either home or away - with “momentum”.
Boro’s average league crowd is 827 this season, a 21 per cent increase on 2022/23.
The Easter Monday 1,137 crowd for Winchester’s visit was the highest of four fourfigure attendances so far.
Suraci said: “Since we’ve been at the club it’s the best support, the best atmosphere, the best noise. We’ve played here before and the support we’ve received this year has been something different from the other years.
“Obviously it’s easier when the team’s doing well, but we can only say ‘thank you’ and how appreciative we are.
“I’m sure they will be there in numbers (against Chesham) and it will make a big difference for us.”
Suraci added: “There’s been a lot of mental stress on the players - we’ve been fighting to get in the playoffs, then we’re fighting to get a home tie.
“We could really do with a win against Chesham, not just to help us get the highest possible position but to go into the play-offs with a good feeling and a bit of momentum.
“There’s a lot of things we can take out of Hendon to replicate against Chesham, and some things we can gloss over.”
Since we’ve been at the club it’s the best support, the best atmosphere