Lymington & New Milton striker Paddy James has found himself the butt of dressing room jokes after being voted national 'player-of-the-round' for the FA Cup second qualifying round.

The 22-year-old Totton lad, who scored a hat-trick in the 8-2 slaying of Clevedon United, scooped a whopping 59 per cent of the votes and laughed: "All the lads are calling me VFP - vote for Paddy!

"Jimmy Sheppard's a right wind-up merchant and when I got taken out by a Portland player on Saturday he told the ref that he couldn't let that happen to the player-of-the round."

James, who intends to give his main prize of £1,000 worth of sports kit and equipment to his old school, Testwood, reckons he has his family to thank for seeing off the challenge of Gedling Town's Steve Scoffham and Boreham Wood's Sam Winston.

His mum, Heather, who works at Calmore Post Office, rallied round friends and relatives - including her brother, Malc, who urged his fellow fishermen in Wales to vote for his nephew.

James laughed: "Even my dad, Mike, had strips of paper with my name on it and got all the builders at work to vote.

"It's brilliant to have won and Testwood are pretty chuffed too because they're trying to raise money for sports development."

James will be presented with his prize at the Linnets' Fawcett's Field home tomorrow.