Hampton heads will not be turned after play-off heartache (From Your Local Guardian)

Hampton heads will not be turned after play-off heartache

12:13pm Thursday 14th May 2009 in

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Coach Dudley Gardner is confident Hampton & Richmond Borough’s first team squad will not be tempted elsewhere having suffered Blue Square South play-off final heartache for the second successive season.

The Beavers crashed 3-2 to Hayes & Yeading on Thursday night - having led 2-1 with 20 minutes remaining - to end hopes of reaching the Blue Square Premier after finishing second in the table behind champions AFC Wimbledon.

Scouts from Exeter City, Notts County, Yeovil Town, Millwall, Swindon Town, Charlton Athletic and Southampton were in the bumper 3,000+ Beveree crowd to run the rule over two teams vying for promotion to the top tier of non-League football.

Ryman League Premier Division managers Sutton United’s Paul Doswell and Kingstonian’s Alan Dowson were also interested observers.

Strikers Ian Hodges and Lawrence Yaku have committed their immediate future to Hampton next season, as has goalkeeper Matt Lovett, whose late red card compounded the misery of gifting Hayes two goals in two second-half minutes.

Gardner, who says the players are from sick of the sight of the play-offs, reckons that is a sign others will follow suit for a third tilt at winning the league.

And he believes the bitter memories of the last two seasons will be a major motivating factor.

“Most players want to stay. They enjoy playing for Dev and have achieved a hell of a lot under him,“ he said.

“A lot in the squad have gone elsewhere and come back, so that just shows the grass isn’t always greener.

“We’ve been in the final two years on the trot now. Teams rarely do that these days, so that is a marvellous achievement in itself.

“We need to add a little bit to the squad because we need to keep building. The boys are deflated, but I don’t think that will stop them coming back for it next year.

“It was a sad occasion last week and there is more to life than football, but we don’t want someone celebrating on our pitch again.”

Lovett’s second half mistakes saw Hayes overturn Hampton’s 2-1 advantage in the blink of an eye when he misjudged Steve Gregory’s deep cross and then let a shot from the same player squirm under his body.

The former Staines Town stopper has otherwise been rock solid all season and is among the candidates for player of the season, according to chairman Steve McPherson.

And Gardner admits the keeper - who will miss the opening four games of next season through suspension - shouldn’t carry the can for his side’s final failings.

“Both goalkeepers made mistakes and people remember those more than anything. Matt has been superb all season and is in no way to blame for it.

“Most of the players froze on the night. The expectations were a little bit higher because we were at home, but we really thought we could do it.

“In the end it didn’t happen for us and only three or four performed as you’d expect and they were the better side.”