MANAGER Craig Davis has chosen to stay loyal to Winchester City after being approached by a rival Southern League club.

The unnamed outfit have a bigger budget than Winchester and are ambitious for promotion, but Davis is happy to continue the project he has started at the Simplyhealth City Ground.

Having joined the cathedral city club from Fleet Town last March, the ex-Bashley, Salisbury and AFC Totton midfielder has them well in contention for the Evo-Stik South West play-offs in his first full season at the helm.

City are also just one step away from the Hampshire FA Senior Cup final following Tuesday’s rollercoaster 4-3 quarter-final victory over Alresford Town.

“A Southern League club approached me about a job and I turned it down out of loyalty to Winchester and told (City’s director of football) Dave Malone about it straight away,” Davis revealed.

“I think we’re a good club who are going places. We’re at the start of something good here with a developing side.

“We’re still a very young team with a lot of room for improvement.

“I showed loyalty to Fleet for six years and I think it would be wrong to jump ship.”

Tuesday’s victory over Alresford highlighted the very best and the worst of City’s game.

They seldom have problems scoring goals, but defensive lapses too often let them down.

“Teams are not really opening us up, it’s just sloppy things that are gifting sides goals,” said Davis.

“We’ve got good players but we need a bit more leadership and organisation in the defensive area.”

Davis had hoped former Poole Town defender/midfielder Keith Emmerson would be the answer to his prayers following his departure from Farnborough, but City couldn’t compete with what league leaders Taunton Town were offering.

“Those type of players are in short supply - plus they cost a lot of money, as happened with Keith Emmerson,” said Davis.

“Reinforcements are probably needed because we’re conceding too many goals.

“We’re still looking, but there’s nothing concrete at the moment.”

Winchester are ninth in the table, but just four points off third spot.

On Saturday (3pm) they host 15th-placed Cinderford Town who held them 2-2 in Gloucestershire in November.

“It was a strange game. We got annihilated by them first half, but second half was all us and we could have won it 3-2 in the end,” Davis recalled.

City’s skipper and midfielder Jamie Barron is still out with tweaked knee ligaments, but left-back Danny King is back in the squad after injury.

Despite his reservations about Winchester’s defending against Alresford, Davis is delighted to have reached the county cup final four.

“It was a lot harder in the end than it should have been, but ultimately we have got the job done and we are through to the semi-finals - and I am delighted!” he smiled.

“Second half we really turned the screw and that should have been game dead, but they got a goal on the break and then another for 3-3 and we had really thrown it away.

“But then up steps Coxy (Pat Cox) to finish it off for 4-3. It was great character for us to bounce back like that, but criminal to have given them any chance to stay in it.

“Credit to Alresford. I wish them well for the season.”

Richard Luffman, boss of Wessex Premier outfit Alresford, reflected: “When you go to a Southern League club you need some luck and we aren’t having any.

“Missing Chris Mason, Simon Everett, Scott Munro, Adam Pearson and Ben White was always going to be tough.

“But the kids did well. We had six lads under-21 playing and they did brilliantly.

“I wish Craig and everyone at Winchester City the very best of luck for the rest of the season.

“Now we focus on Baffins (Milton Rovers) at home on Saturday (3pm).”