AFC Totton’s Ross Bottomley believes his former Eastleigh teammates are the favourites to win the Hampshire Senior Cup tonight.

The Stags have won the Hampshire Senior Cup for the last two seasons, against Aldershot Town and Sholing.

But Bottomley, who left Eastleigh for Totton earlier this season, says: “I would probably say Eastleigh have the edge, they’re play in a league higher and have spent a lot of money this season.

“They’re a physical side but they can play as well.”

Totton missed out on the chance to join Eastleigh in Blue Square Bet South when they lost the Evostik Southern Premier play-off final at Oxford City last week.

“Concentration levels are higher in Eastleigh’s leagues, but there are only slight differences,” says Bottomley, who will be assisting Totton’s reserve-team boss Jim Thorne from the dug out.

Bottomley is cup-tied after playing in Eastleigh’s third-round win against Fleet in December.

It is not the first time he has missed out on playing at St Mary’s.

He was suspended for the 2004 Hampshire Senior Cup final, during his Fareham Town days.

But he is looking forward to being involved, albeit from the touchline, in a match that has global interest due to the testing of goal-line technology tonight.

“Everyone is going to want to play football because the surface is so good. It should be an excellent game,” he said.

“It’s not as big as the FA Cup run, for those players who were involved in that, but a lot of them are Saints fans.

“St Mary’s is a great stadium and in years to come we’ll be able to say we were involved in the first goal-line technology test.”