637 days later than planned – Moneyfields to host US Portsmouth in their first game at the John Jenkins Stadium

When Moneyfields vacated their Dover Road home in March 2022, the plan was for them to return to the newly-built John Jenkins Stadium a few months later.

Their first Wessex League game at the venue was pencilled in against city rivals United Services Portsmouth on October 8.

But that date came and went with no sign of the development being completed.

And so it went on, and on, and on, and on.

Not only did Moneys end up playing all their ‘home’ games in 2022-23 either at opposing clubs’ grounds or rented pitches, mainly Hawks’ Westleigh Park, they also ended up playing all their 2023-24 ‘home’ games elsewhere as well, in this case across the county border at Chichester’s Oaklands Park.

Now, finally, they will run out on Saturday for their first game at the JJS - fittingly, a friendly against United Services (1pm), 637 days late.

Boss Glenn Turnbull won’t be there to see it, though - he’ll be in Swindon for his daughter’s graduation.

“That sums up the luck I’ve had with that place!” he quipped.

Despite the lack of a permanent home venue, Moneys were still crowned Wessex Premier champions last term - returning the club to the eighth tier after a three-season absence.

“I don’t think the enormity of what we achieved has really sunk in yet,” Turnbull added. “It just shows the character in the group.

“It would have been really easy - for the players collectively, as a management team, maybe even as a club - to have thrown the towel in, saying it’s all getting too difficult.

“But in a way it galvanised us a bit.

“The first season (2022-23) was more derailing to what we were trying to achieve.

“It was always a case of ‘next week, next month, the month after’, where last season we had got used to it.”

No home venue for two seasons also brought its fair share of financial problems, with Turnbull admitting: “I honestly don’t know how Pete (Seiden, chairman) and the board did it.

“Did I ask? It was a case of how much did I need to know, how much did I want to get involved, and would getting involved detract from the job I was trying to do.”

He added: “As a club Moneyfields has come in for some stick at times, but I don’t know any other club that would have kept all its promises in terms of paying players.

Turnbull also said the league deducting them three points for failing to fulfil a home game with Petersfield in January was another factor used in creating a kind of siege mentality.

Moneys were left with no ground when AFC Portchester pulled the plug on a proposed groundshare deal the day before they were due to welcome the Rams to the On-Site Stadium.

As a result of that deal falling through, Moneys were forced to play in Chichester for the remainder of the season.

“We had a feeling of it was us against the world,” Turnbull recalled.

“I had known for weeks that we could have the points deducted as the appeal process was going on, but we didn’t tell the lads.

“I was really nervous telling them, as I thought it could have been a bit unsettling, but the senior players just said ‘we’d written them (the points) off anyway, don’t worry about it.’

Moneys fielded two different teams during Tuesday’s 3-1 loss at Wick in their opening friendly.

A smaller squad will face US Portsmouth, though Callum Laycock and Lawrence Cooper are unavailable from Tuesday.

A familiar face at Wick was striker Lamin Jatta, who first played for Moneys during Dave Carter’s time as manager in 2019-20.

Jatta, who has also played for Portchester and US Portsmouth, spent last season in the Southern League with Salisbury-based Bemerton Heath.

Summer signings Scott Hills and Isaac Kamin also featured, as did Taylor Crook who is dual signed from Havant & Waterlooville.

*Moneyfields Women also make their John Jenkins Stadium debut this weekend.

They welcome higher tier Plymouth Argyle on Sunday (2pm) for their opening pre-season friendly.