Hamble ASSC have received some unlikely support in their battle to beat the Wessex 1 drop - from the boss of relegated Downton.

Although bitterly disappointed to see the Robins take the plunge in this, their centenary year, Jeff Softley has wished Danny Bowers all the best in his struggle to the keep the Planemakers up.

Hamble, without a game tomorrow, will be nervously awaiting the result of Portland's trip to Cowes Sports knowing that a point would see the third-to-bottom Dorset club safe.

Defeat, however, would set up a nerve-jangling finale on April 30 when Downton - two points adrift of Portland with a vastly inferior goal difference - finish their campaign at Bemerton Heath Harlequins, while the Islanders travel to Fareham.

From a purely selfish perspective, Softley would prefer to go to Hamble next season than face the long, tiring slog to Portland.

But, for their young manager Bowers's sake, he wants to see the Planemakers survive.

He said: "I wish Danny all the best. I've known him since last season when I was managing Bemerton's reserves and he was at BAT. We went there and got beat and thought we had blown the league, but we ended up winning it anyway.

"Danny has always struck me as a really nice bloke. He works very hard, he's really keen and, similar to when I left Bemerton for Downton, he's made the step up to be his own man at Hamble and has done a very good job.

"He's taken them from being a poor side to one that's getting there. For me, Hamble are a better side than Portland and I really hope they survive. Danny deserves it for what he's done."

Downton's demise has drawn no sympathy from Steve Slade, co-manager of their Wiltshire neighbours Bemerton.

Softley's departure to Wick Lane along with several Harlequins players still rankles with the plain-talking Western Way boss, who said: "Downton escaped a few seasons ago when they finished bottom and there was no one to come up. They're the worst side in the league and deserve to be relegated."When we played them, they had ten ex-Bemerton players who had all got disenchanted here because they weren't getting into the first team. Now they know why!"