AFC Totton
AFC TOTTON HAVE FURTHER strengthened their defensive ranks with the signing of former Portsmouth and Kilmarnock defender Brandon Haunstrup.
Heralding from Waterlooville, Haunstrup grew up in the Portsmouth Academy, earning himself a two-year contract that began in July 2013. In early 2015, he was loaned to Bognor Regis Town for whom he made his senior men’s debut at Leatherhead.
That summer, he signed a one-year professional deal at Fratton Park and was promoted to Pompey’s first team squad for the 2015/16 season. He made his professional debut on 12 August 2015, as a member of the starting XI in a Carabao Cup victory at home to Derby County.
A short loan spell at Sutton United saw Haunstrup gain more experience of senior men’s football in the National League, before he returned to Portsmouth to have his contract extended – initially for one year, before the club exercised their option to extend it still further to keep him in Hampshire until the summer of 2020. By then, he had racked up a total of 32 league appearances.
Haunstrup decided that he needed to move on to secure guaranteed first team football but although his contract at Portsmouth had expired, he was still young enough at the time that any club in England wanting to sign him would have had to pay a compensation fee in line with the Bosman ruling. However, that rule does not apply when crossing national borders, so when Kilmarnock came calling, Haunstrup decided to walk 500 miles to join the Scottish Premiership side; 465 miles, actually – and on reflection, he probably didn’t walk it.
He spent two seasons at Rugby Park, making 44 league appearances in total. The first season ended in relegation from the Premiership but Killie made an immediate return to Scotland’s top flight by claiming the Scottish Championship title in 2021/22, with Haunstrup a regular feature of their defensive line.
In July 2022, he moved to League One outfit Cambridge United on a two-year deal. His time at the Abbey Stadium was punctuated by a loan spell with National League side Gateshead, who he then joined on a permanent basis in August 2024.
Brandon Haunstrap models his new AFC Totton training kit, shortly before joining his new teammates for their first pre-season session at Test Park.
Now 28 years-old, Haunstrup is that most valuable of commodities that football managers have been known to describe as “rare as hen’s teeth” – a left-sided centre-back, who can also operate as a conventional left full-back. He met his new teammates for the first time when they broke their close-season fast with a light training session in the sunshine at the Solent University complex at Test Park on Tuesday evening (24 June 2025). Asked during the long stroll back to the changing rooms after the completion of the session to describe his qualities as a player and his own style of play, Haunstrup replied:
“I consider myself a composed defender. I read the game well, so while I’m not necessarily what you would call a tough-tackler, I’m dynamic and can get across to shut situations down. I’m also quite a technical player, which suited me in Scotland where the football relies more on technical ability compared to England’s lower leagues, where we put more emphasis on athleticism.”
Visitors to his Wikipedia page may be concerned that The Stags appear to have acquired a 4ft 4in tall defender – an ongoing joke perpetuated by a woman Haunstrup crossed during his time north of the border. Your reporter chose not to push the point but can nevertheless confirm that he is, in fact, around 6ft.
Concentrating instead on his style of play, I asked Haunstrup to identify a famous player whose style is most similar to his own. He enjoyed the question but had to rattle his brain for a minute to find an answer. After some back-and-forth, he settled on a cross between Manchester City and England defender John Stones, and the French former City and Arsenal full-back, Gael Clichy.
“At Gateshead last season, we played a system where I was often the left-sided centre-back, and I was encouraged to take the ball into midfield and play from there. As a defender, you don’t usually get that much freedom to come out and play, but it worked well for us and I really enjoyed it.”
The Tynesiders finished eighth in the National League last season, just one place and one point behind eventual Play-Off finalists Southend United.
Stags boss Jimmy Ball explained:
“Brandon is a player of outrageous quality who will bring a great deal of valuable experience to the squad, which is vital for the level that we’re now moving up to. We’ve already strengthened well at the back, but Brandon’s versatility gives me the option to switch between a three or four-man defence with minimal changes to personnel – which should help us to keep opponents guessing.
“He’s a local lad, so this move enables him to come home after playing in Scotland and northern England for a while, and he has all the qualities to become a top player for us over the next few years. I’m chuffed to have got him into the squad and, as with all the other lads we’ve brought in this summer, it’s pleasing to have it all signed and sealed in time for him to have a full pre-season with us.”
By Ben Rochey-Adams
Images courtesy of Gateshead FC (top, left), Jeff Holmes (top, right) and KickOff Graphics (bottom).
