TROJANS have an ideal opportunity to extend their already healthy advantage at the top of the Hampshire/Surrey Regional League when the second phase of the programme starts on January 8, 2005.

Four points clear at the top after a near perfect 11-match start - only Old Whitgiftians have checked their winning streak so far - Trojans play four of the bottom five clubs in the coming weeks.

Coach Lindsay Hilton will be delighted if Trojans can repeat the 23-goal salvo they sent past Reigate Priory (5-0), Old Cranleighans (5-1), Winchester (8-3) and London Edwardians (5-0) at the start of the season.

"Epsom, Woking and Hamble are the sides we definitely need to beat in the return fixtures in late February and early March," says 15-goal penalty corner specialist Wayne Shepherd.

"But, hopefully, we'll have a stack more points on the board by the time we come to play them second time around."

Shepherd is the sole survivor from Trojans heady days in the National League and he's confident the Stoneham club are on the right path back towards former glories.

"We've got a cracking playing surface at Stoneham Lane now and an ever-improving side playing on it.

"We dropped back into Hampshire League standard hockey a few seasons ago, but have gradually attracted new players and rebuilt the squad to the extent we are now well equipped to go up into the South Premier League, hopefully next autumn," he said.

The arrival of Paul Hilton - coach Lindsay Hilton's son - has been a major boost for Trojans this season.

"Paul has been playing EHA Premier League hockey at Hampstead & Westminster, but has come back to playing locally to coincide with his studies at Portsmouth University," Shepherd said.

Hilton, who has potted 13 goals, brings a class stamp to Trojans free-scoring front line.

"It can't have been easy for him to adjust, having played five divisions higher in the pyramid, but he's put away some quality goals," he added.

Top scorer at the halfway stage in the Regional League is Hamble's Steve Barber, who has plundered 19 of his side's 46 goals.

But Hamble, who enjoyed a spell of six wins in seven mid-season matches before losing 3-2 at Trojans, face two crunch matches early in the new year.

"We've got back-to-back games against Woking and Epsom immediately after Christmas.

"If we win those games, we'll be back in the thick of things - and probably Trojans' friends forever," chuckled Hamble manager Chris Marsh.

After a bright start, Winchester suffered a spate of defeats to finish the opening half of the season on the fringes of the relegation zone.

But with newly-promoted Southampton and Old Cranleighans still searching for their first wins, Winchester should have few worries about their immediate future.

Success in last weekend's Southern Regional indoor finals at Haslemere will have boosted Winchester's confidence.

Paired against three EHA League clubs and three others from the South Premier League, Winchester finished creditable runners-up after losing a nail-biting penalty flick final shoot-out against Holcombe.

Fareham were among the South League clubs to participate and they too will look forward with keen anticipation to the second half of the Premier Division 2 season.

They soared into a highest-yet fourth place in SPL2 and with canny coach Nigel Cook gradually blending youth with quality players like South Africans Craig Peel and Scott Barton, Bath Lane is a much happier post-match alehouse these days.