Bognor hope for double squad boost from Pompey duo

The Rocks are hoping the Pompey production line gives their squad another boost this season.
Striker Alfie Stanley (left of picture) may arrive on loan at Bognor / Picture: Habibur RahmanStriker Alfie Stanley (left of picture) may arrive on loan at Bognor / Picture: Habibur Rahman
Striker Alfie Stanley (left of picture) may arrive on loan at Bognor / Picture: Habibur Rahman

They want the Fratton Park club to allow promising young duo Alfie Stanley and Joe Hancott to join them on loan and help them mount another Isthmian premier promotion campaign.

Striker Stanley was in the Bognor squad for last Friday’s 4-2 friendly win at Chichester City and scored their second goal, while left-back Hancott spent time on loan at Bognor last season before picking up a knee injury.

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If the duo’s loan to Nyewood Lane is agreed, they will be the latest in a long line of Blues youngsters who have headed to the Lane to get experience.

Forwards Dan Smith and Brad Lethbridge are among those to have made the switch in the past and both have ended up signing for the Rocks after their releases by Pompey.

Bognor boss Jack Pearce said talks were ongoing with Pompey about which players they could use.

“We are grateful to Portsmouth for them allowing us to loan players from them. It’s a relationship that benefits both clubs,” he said. Bognor had another

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Pompey prospect, forward Eoin Teggart in the squad at Oaklands Park last week.

Bognor are also due to sign 20-year-old former Southampton and Stevenage academy attacker Sam Dowdridge on loan following his move to Havant and Waterlooville.

Pearce still has four players unavailable through injury and one, defender James Crane, needs surgrey on a knee cartilage problem. The other three – Ashton Leigh, Jason Parish and Jake Flannigan – have hamstring injuries.

All are likely to miss Saturday’s final friendly, at Gosport Borough, while skipper Harvey Whyte may also be absent following the death of his father, former Rocks favourite Dallas Whyte.

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Bognor open their Isthmian campaign with a visit to Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday week.

Coach Robbie Blake was pleased with the display at Chichester.

“Miles [Rutherford] has assembled a good team and taken the club a real step forward, so we’re pleased with the result,” Blake said.

“We’ve obviously got a long way to go until we’re happy, but the players gave a lot and worked really hard for the result.”