Hamble ASSC could do with help from the supernatural to preserve their 15-year status as a Jewson Wessex League club.

"We need a miracle now," confessed secretary Matt Newbold after watching one of his last hopes go up in smoke at Folland Park on Tuesday in a 1-0 loss to Fareham.

The nature of the defeat typified the luck - or lack of it - a team get when they're down. They held out in a close, scrappy game until the 83rd minute when young Town substitute Alex Robinson beat a defender and sent a cross-shot sailing into the far corner.

"It's been one of those seasons," sighed Newbold. "The longer the game went on, the more I thought that maybe we could snatch a result, but that late goal was a killer."

With Swanage & Herston apparently in free-fall, it would probably only take one win to spare Hamble from the drop.

But that is easier said than done for a side who have scored only 30 goals all season and have not tasted victory in the league since way back on November 10 when they triumphed 1-0 at Blackfield & Langley.

Swanage - two points better off than Hamble having played one game more - are unlikely to get any joy at title-chasing Andover tomorrow and at home to in-form Brockenhurst on the last day of the season.

Unfortunately for the Planemakers, their task is every bit as awesome. After a trip to Brockenhurst tomorrow, Larry Clay's men must entertain top-six pair Lymington & New Milton (Tuesday) and Wimborne (Saturday).

"The lads are still up for it and they're determined to get those points, but it's whether we'll have luck on our side," sighed Newbold. "They played their hearts out against Fareham and it was cruel to lose to such a late goal."

Newbold, for one, would not a relish a future in the Hampshire League. He said: "It's a hell of a drop in standard between that and the Wessex. If we go down, it will be very hard attracting people to play here."

Brockenhurst boss Paul Arnold has rubbished speculation that he is about to become manager of Wimborne Town.

He said: "I can honestly say I haven't applied for the Wimborne job and no one has approached me about it.

"I do know the Wimborne chairman Nick O'Hara well because we live near one another and I think people are putting two and two together."