As far as silverware goes, Warsash-based side TUV will be in the same boat as a lot of other clubs this season - empty-handed.

But it was a case of so near yet so far for the Drew Smith Homes Saturday Junior Division 5 club who were within touching distance of a glorious treble of the championship plus the Southampton and Hampshire FA Junior B Cups.

Instead, that honour has gone to their arch rivals, Forest Town, who not only pipped them to the Junior 5 title but also ended their Southampton cup ambitions - as well as beating them 3-1 in last Saturday's Hampshire Junior B Cup final.

TUV player/secretary Neil Lumsden sighed: "We've only lost four games in all competitions this season and each one has been against Forest Town.

"They've beaten us twice in the league, they knocked us out at the semi-final stage of the Southampton Junior B Cup and now they've done us again in the Hampshire Cup final."

Entering the Southampton League under their former name of Abbey Works, the club then changed their title to TUV who take their name from a German product service company who test football equipment like shin pads and boots.

It was rather harshly suggested on the day that TUV stood for 'Tough, Ugly and Violent!' but, as secretary Lumsden added: "It won't matter for too much longer anyway because the company doesn't sponsor us any more and next season we'll be changing our name to A&M Motors."

Their opponents today, Millbank, are currently enjoying their first season with the Saturday League after spending the previous five years in the City of Southampton Sunday League.

Club president Alan Judd explained: "When we first entered the Sunday League, the team was the old S&D side from the Tyro League with one or two older heads added to give a bit of experience and stability.

"We played in the PM section which only has one division and we felt that, as a club, we were stagnating a bit and not really going anywhere - and we couldn't switch to the morning section instead because we'd have never got the players out of bed in time!"

The smile was wiped from his face just six minutes into the game when Dean Lumsden pumped a long ball over the top of the Millbank defence for Luke Richmond who, from just inside the penalty area, lofted his angled shot over the advancing 'keeper.

Only a superb fingertip save by TUV keeper James Holden prevented Tony Green from equalising after 32 minutes before TUV replied almost immediately with a thumping 25-yarder by Pete Day thudding against the post.

But TUV were not to be denied a second before the interval. Phil Young's last-ditch challenge on Dean Lumsden as he raced into the penalty area was deemed a foul by the referee and up stepped Damian Stretch to confidently send the 'keeper the wrong way with his spot-kick.

Millbank opened the second half brightly and another good shot from Mark Stewart was pushed around the upright by Holden but, from the resulting corner, Dave Lockyer's pinpoint far-post delivery was firmly nodded home by Dave New.

That sparked something of a goal rush and, on 54 minutes, TUV restored their two-goal cushion when Millbank's Steve Jones lost possession and was ruthlessly punished by Richmond who smacked in his second goal of the game.

But back came Millbank once again just 90 seconds later as Stewart strode into the TUV penalty area before squaring the ball back across the face of goal to present Dan Hewitt with a simple tap-in to peg it back to 3-2.

TUV weathered the storm before bagging a fourth on the counter attack after 65 minutes when Richmond and Dean Lumsden traded passes from the halfway line before Richmond finished low into the bottom corner for a well-taken hat-trick.

Millbank set up a tense final ten minutes when Young's cross appeared to have been fumbled over his own goal line by 'keeper Holden. In the ensuing goalmouth melee, Hewitt finally made sure with another close-range effort into the bottom corner of the net.

But the home side managed to hang on for a narrow 4-3 verdict.