IF Winchester City miss out on promotion again this season, manager Neil Hards believes it will herald the break-up of his FA Vase-winning squad.

One of Dave Malone's main reasons for quitting as director of football and vice-chairman last month was his disappointment that Winchester were unable to build on their Vase/Wessex League/League Cup treble by progressing to a higher league.

Hards and his players share that sense of frustration and he predicts that, were the club to suffer another let-down this summer, it would be the end of the road for the City squad as we know it.

Winchester hold a seven-point lead at the Wessex League summit going into tomorrow's trip to VT FC, but Hards warned: "Even if we win the league again this year, there's still no guarantee we'd go up because you've got be elected to the next level. You could go on for donkeys' years like this and never progress.

"It's pretty fair to say that, if we don't get promoted, the group will probably break up. The players are all ambitious and it would be difficult to play another year in the Wessex League - especially those who are coming to the end of their contracts.

"We've got about eight players whose contracts are up at the end of the season and I wouldn't blame them for walking away if we're not promoted.

"I'm as ambitious as they are and my goal is to keep the squad I've got here and try and get them playing against higher clubs next season, but whether that comes to fruition is another matter."

Although there have been hiccups behind the scenes since Malone departed, Hards insists his players are still hungry for success.

He said: "We got written off to a certain degree at the start of the season, but our lads desperately want to keep hold of what we won last year.

"The FA Vase remains a big motivation for us and there's still a lot to be said for the Wessex League.

"We're one of a few Wessex sides who could easily hold their own at a higher level and we know we're not going run away with the title."

Although questions are still being asked about Winchester's future without Malone, Hards said: "All we can do is carry on the same as usual. We're all employed by the club and will be until we're told differently."

VT FC have been boosted by the return of last season's 51-goal top scorer Mike Spinney from a broken wrist, but he was sent off for two bookable offences in Tuesday's League Cup defeat by Gosport. Ex-Saint Kevin Gibbens and Ben Tyrrell limped out of that match with hamstring trouble.