Baird to miss final

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By Wendy Gee - 

NEITHER Eastleigh nor AFC Totton will have their usual names at the helm for Wednesday's Hampshire FA Senior Cup final at St Mary's (7.30pm).

After leading AFC Totton to glory in the last two seasons, Stuart Ritchie would have been gunning for an impressive hat-trick of county crowns.

But having completed the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division season with the Stags, Ritchie was unveiled as the new manager of Havant & Waterlooville on Tuesday and won't be there to defend the trophy.

Eastleigh boss Ian Baird will also be absent, having accepted an invitation to the Hong Kong FC International Soccer Sevens.

Baird, who managed the Hong Kong national team in 1999, annually attends the event and had not anticipated Eastleigh being in the HSC final when they were knocked out at the second round stage by Aldershot in October.

But the Spitfires were reinstated at the expense of the Shots, who fielded an ineligible player, and went on to beat Fleet Town, Romsey Town and Winchester City to reach the showpiece finale.

Baird, whose right-hand man Shaun Wilkinson will take the team, admitted: "I'm sorry to miss the final. It's always nice to play at St Mary's on a lovely pitch.

"But unfortunately I committed to Hong Kong after we'd been knocked out at Aldershot."

With Ritchie's assistant Sean New following him to Havant and Totton yet to appoint a new boss, the Stags have entrusted reserve team manager Jim Thorne with the job of leading them out at St Mary's.

He will be assisted by ex-Eastleigh defender Ross Bottomley who is cup-tied having played for the Spitfires in earlier rounds.

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