AT just 23 years of age, it’s safe to say AFC Stoneham’s Adam Pullinger will be one of, if not the youngest, bosses in the Sydenhams Wessex League.

Remarkably he already has three years of management under his belt and, all told, has served the Chestnut Avenue outfit for six years in various capacities.

Wessex One football will be a new experience for Pullinger but, like all successful managers, he has good, experienced people around him.

Chairman Mark Stupple – former AFC Totton vice-chairman and Sholing reserves boss – is described as a “godsend” by the young manager, while ex-Alresford Town coach Carl Whittington knows all about delivering Wessex success on a shoe-string.

“I’m delighted the club’s gone up considering that at Christmas-time we were up against the wall funding-wise,” said Pullinger. “We had no external funding for ground improvements and had to do it all over a six-week period which was a massive task.

“The chairman Mark Stupple, who also runs our reserves, has been a godsend. His organisational skills alone have got us where we are on and off the pitch.

“We’ve got a lot of good people here. Carl Whittington has made a difference since he joined us as first-team coach at Christmas. He achieved a lot with Tim (Cole) and Danny (Robinson) at Alresford and came to us from Winchester City.

“He was a big appointment for us looking to go into the Wessex League.”

After the high of winning the Southampton Senior Cup and finishing Hampshire Premier League runners-up three seasons ago, Pullinger took up the reins when previous bosses James Banks and Terry Chapman moved on to Stockbridge.

“We lost the whole squad but we managed to keep our heads above water and brought in players with an average age of 20 to 22 who were on the edge of Wessex football,” Pullinger explained.

“To finish fourth in the Hampshire Premier League this season and win the League Cup against Baffins Milton Rovers (2-0 at Gosport) was very positive.

“It would have been nicer to have finished higher, but we’ve done well with a brand new squad who are all young and all socialise together.

“With the average age being as it is, we could do with five or six additions going into the Wessex League, but there’s no great expectation on us.

“We’ve had to run very quickly this year and now we can consolidate.

“The dangers of trying to move forward too quickly have been shown in the past and we’ll make sure we get a solid footing before looking to move forward again.”

With a new ground at either Hardmoor or Monks Brook around the corner, Pullinger said: “It’s like winning a mini lottery really.

“I went away on a Dutch tour with the under-15s and the Vlaardingen ground we played at was very similar to the proposals we’ve got for our new ground.

“We’re also managing to build a partnership with (Conference neighbours) Eastleigh. Lee Peacock’s academy side have played at our place and we have weekly dialogue with them. It’s nice to have communication with our neighbours.”