COME what may this season, Winchester City are happy they have the right man in charge.

Director of football Dave Malone insists that even if promotion from the Sydenhams Premier passes them by this term, City are happy to stick with Paul Masters at the helm.

After assisting Neil Hards for much of last season, Masters was swiftly brought back in when Hards’ successors Tim Cole and Danny Robinson left in late October.

The ex-Saints reserves midfielder needed time to stamp his own mark on the squad which Malone believed was top-heavy with Cole and Robinson’s former Alresford Town players.

They lost ground in the title race in the process as Petersfield charged away at the top.

But second place and promotion is still a possibility for Winchester and, even if Southern League football does not materialise this time round, Malone believes the future is bright under Masters.

“For me, as long as Paul wants to stay at Winchester he’s the right man for the job,” he said.

“Both (chairman) Paul Murray and I are content with what we’ve got.

“Paul’s a passionate, decent bloke and the team spirit is the best we’ve had in a long time.

“Looking back, we should only ever have had four or five players coming across from Alresford, not ten or 11, but I take full responsibility for that.

“We’ve got a good mix now, we’re always liable to score goals and we’ve tightened up a bit and look sturdier than we were.

“I’m sure there’s another stupid defeat around the corner, that’s the nature of the side we’ve got, and, going forward, we will need to strengthen on the defensive side.”

Given that he reckons Petersfield are “home and hosed” for the title, Malone’s hopes now rest with City finishing runners-up and hoping it will be enough to take them up.

Past experience, though, has taught him to take nothing for granted.

“Whether second place would get us promoted remains to be seen,” he said. “It’s a lucky dip and the FA will only do what they want to do. There’s nothing we can do to influence it one way or the other, so there’s no point worrying.

“Our aim now is to finish second or third and, if we do to finish second, I’d be as pleased as punch whether we went up or we didn’t.

“I like the challenge of the Southern League, but the Wessex is a reasonably well-run league and it’s more competitive now than it’s been for a while.”

Winchester are third, six points behind Moneyfields with three games in hand.

They face another big challenge tomorrow at sixth-placed Blackfield & Langley. Charlie Smeeton is suspended and there are concerns over Zach Glasspool (thigh) and Geoff Dunn (dead leg).