Saturday's Blue Square South preview

Blue Square South sees a full round of fixtures on Saturday afternoon. Come this way to read our preview ahead of all the action...

Basingstoke Town v Bath City

Basingstoke Town will be hoping to bounce back when they entertain Bath City at The Camrose.

Town manager Frank Gray has called on his side to cut out the mistakes and get back to winning ways.

Gray told the Basingstoke Gazette: "It's not a serious setback, just a defeat and we have got to respond in the right way.

"We cannot dwell on Tuesday and must pick ourselves up for Saturday.

"We need to cut out the mistakes.

"St Albans were not able to cut us open, we just gifted them chances."

The Dragons will have to do without defender Miles Mitchell-Coop.

Sean Hankin, Adam Aimable and Allan Tait are all available for selection after returning on Tuesday.

Sam Tucknott is rated as a doubt, but may be available for duty on the bench.

Bath City should have goalkeeper Paul Evans available despite an injury.

City boss Adie Britton told This Is Bath: "Steve couldn't move on Sunday. He's tweaked the bottom of his back and I know from recent personal experience that it can either take four or five days or two or three weeks for him to recover.

"He went to the osteopath on Monday and he's not walking about, he's rolling. He is really struggling.

"At the moment Paul seems okay," Britton added. "Kicking out of his hands is fine but you'll notice when he is kicking the ball on the ground he winces and is in a bit of pain.

"He's having an injection on Thursday with the specialist in an area at the bottom of his hamstring at the back of the knee and we're hoping that will cure the problem. Fingers crossed he'll be okay for Saturday."

Mark Badman will feature after returning from a trip to sunny South Africa, meaning Adam Connolly will miss out.

On Saturday's match, Britton revealed: "At Basingstoke, quite clearly we will go there and attack the game and try to win it.

"Bishop's Stortford is going to be incredibly difficult. They've really done well against the top sides, have brought a couple of lads in from Fulham on loan, and that is going to be as tough a game as we play.

"It's unfortunate we didn't play them when we were supposed to (on January 3) as we were in a bit of form then and the games were nicely spread out.

"But there is still everything to play for and as long as we can keep everybody fit we've got a chance."

Bishop's Stortford v Chelmsford City

Chelmsford City will hope to exact revenge when they make the short journey to Bishop's Stortford.

In the last meeting between the two sides, ten-man City came within a whisker of three points despite losing the services of Steve Robinson to a red card after 15 minutes.

The Clarets will have to take on Mark Simpson's men without the services of Ricky Holmes, who continues his mandatory recovery period after suffering concussion.

Stortford currently find themselves on the fringes of a relegation battle after a 2-1 defeat at Hampton & Richmond Borough on Tuesday night.

The previous Saturday, however, they restricted another of City's rivals. Eastleigh. to a point away from home and the Saturday prior to that secured a 1-1 draw at home to local rivals St Albans City.

The Hertfordshire club also have two former City favourites in their midfield, Liam Hopkins and Craig Edwards Junior. However, both are unlikely to feature as they are currently nursing injuries.

Bognor Regis Town v St Albans City

Bognor Regis Town are in desperate need of a three-point haul when St Albans City arrive at Nyewood Lane.

The Rocks will be boosted by the return of James Crane following duty with the England Colleges outfit.

Crane will have gained valuable experience while playing in a tournament in Rome and Rocks manager Darin Killpartrick has revealed his delight at having him back at the club.

Killpartrick told the Bognor Regis Observer: "They are very talented footballers and have done well to get themselves into the squad.

"Obviously James is part of things at Bognor and we are glad to have him back in our squad.

"He has done well for us."

Killpartrick may face a goalkeeping crisis ahead of the clash with Anthony Ender rated as a doubt with a groin injury.

However, he is on the lookout for a loan signing which would ease his problems.

Danny Smith may feature at some point during the fixture.

St Albans City manager Steve Castle will have to wait on the fitness of Ryan Frater and Adam Everitt.

The duo will require late fitness tests as Castle does not want either player aggravating their injuries.

Castle told The Herts Advertiser: "Ryan's a little bit fool to himself and I hope he doesn't mind me saying that.

"He quite blatantly says he's alright and sometimes the physios are undecided. With experienced players, if they are saying it's fine and they're not feeling it, then you have to go with it.

"No disrespect, and I have said this to him, it made us a bit disjointed on Saturday [at Hayes & Yeading] and I didn't want that to happen again. He'll have to be 100 per cent for me to play him."

Braintree Town v Welling United

Braintree Town are aiming for back-to-back wins when they host Welling United at the Cressing Road Stadium.

The Iron picked up a valuable victory over Havant & Waterlooville in midweek and player-manager Brad Quinton is eager to build on that win against Welling.

Quinton told the Braintree And Witham Times: "We're at home again and we're confident in our ability.

"The performance against Havant on Tuesday night showed that.

"They didn't have a shot on goal and it was a true Braintree performance.

"It was a case of getting back to basics.

"I got the response that I wanted.

"It was a superb performance and I was over the moon with the win."

Quinton is likely to start again, while Mark Jones should be fit enough to feature after a hamstring niggle.

The only definite absentee for The Iron is Louis Riddle through suspension.

Welling United manager Andy Ford believes his side can still reach the play-offs, but only if they improve in defence.

Ford told The Bexley Times: "We have not kept a clean sheet now for 14 games and, if you are fighting for a promotion spot, you have got to do that.

"Our defensive record was really good earlier on in the season - it was one of the best.

"It has let us down over the last few weeks. We've just got to defend better if we are going to be candidates for promotion."

Eastleigh v Maidenhead United

Team news to follow...

Fisher Athletic v Weston-Super-Mare

Fisher Athletic will be looking to pick up a victory for their fans when Weston-Super-Mare arrive at Champion Hill.

Fish chairman Martin Eede has revealed that despite all of the problems off the field, the mood within the club is still very good.

Eede told South London Press: "There's no doom and gloom around.

"The last few weeks have bonded everyone together.

"Having Donna Powell as our manager for a game last week helped to bring a little bit of light relief, and also gave us some positive exposure."

Weston-Super-Mare are still flirting with danger at the wrong end of the table and are in desperate need of a three-point haul.

The Seagulls have struggled in front of goal this season and will need to start taking their chances if they wish to climb away from the dreaded drop zone.

Weston have picked up seven points from their last six matches, the 14th best record in the league at the moment.

Havant & Waterlooville v AFC Wimbledon

Havant & Waterlooville face a tough task when league-leaders AFC Wimbledon roll into town on Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks are still flirting with the relegation zone and a defeat over the weekend could see them drop into the mire that is the drop zone.

Hawks manager Shaun Gale is aware of the task at hand, but is quitely confident ahead of the game.

Gale told The News: "It doesn't come any harder with Wimbledon 11(sic) points clear at the top.

"I am embarrassed by our league position, as are the players, and we must view this as an opportunity to rectify some of our mistakes.

"We have massively underachieved in the league this season and it is so frustrating, particularly when you consider how well we have done in the cups.

"It is vital we up our game after producing what was probably our worst performance in two months at Braintree in midweek.

"It wasn't good enough. There was always only going to be one goal in the game and again it was us who made the mistake to lose which was a massive disappointment.

"The spectre of dropping into the relegation zone should be enough to focus the players' minds and it is vital we remain positive.

"In this game you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth and at the moment we are getting the rough end of the stick."

He added: "It is time for the players to stand up and be counted.

"We have 15 league games left and we must treat every single one like a cup final.

"I have told all the players that we have worked massively hard as a football club to get where we are and we must not throw it away.

"Wimbledon are not unbeatable but they are a very good side."

The Hawks will be without Gary Holloway and Charlie Henry through injury, while Louie Castles and Wes Fogden will both require late fitness tests.

AFC Wimbledon will be without Andy Little for the clash after he picked up a leg injury in midweek.

Tony Finn impressed against Worcester City and should start, despite picking up a fine for being late for the match.

Hayes & Yeading United v Newport County

Newport County will be looking to create a bigger gap between themselves and the relegation zone when they travel to Hayes & Yeading United.

The Exiles will have new signing Paul Bignot in the squad for the clash, a player whom manager Dean Holdsworth holds in high regard.

He told South Wales Argus: "We're absolutely thrilled to have Biggy coming back to us, he's a quality defender, a very popular member of the dressing room and a signing that means we have sufficient cover for Jenks' suspension.

"We've been in constant contact with Biggy, we never wanted him to leave in the first place and he provides us with a boost at a great time."

Bignot will go straight into the starting lineup as Steve Jenkins is currently suspended.

Aaron Cook, Ashley Vickers and Paul Cochlin are all carrying knocks and may not be able to feature.

Nathan Davies will be available, but Craig Reid and Kevin Cooper both require late fitness tests.

Hayes & Yeading United are still very much in the mix when it comes to the play-offs and will be hoping for a valuable victory on Saturday afternoon.

United are one of the form sides in the league, having picked up 11 points from their last six matches.

One of Hayes' problems this season has been attracting the fans, with an average of just 356 fans attending home matches.

That statistic will need to change if they are to achieve promotion to the Blue Square Premier this season.

Team Bath v Dorchester Town

Team Bath will be looking to strengthen their hopes of claiming a play-off place when they host Dorchester Town.

Scholars head coach Andy Tillson has called on his side to keep the momentum going after impressive recent results.

Tillson told This Is Bath: "We have got lots of games at the moment and we like that.

"It doesn't give us time to worry about anything else, we can just keep banging the drum and concentrate on playing well.

"We need to be positive after this week's results and we need to look on building on them.

"We have done a lot of travelling this week but I'm sure we will cope with that."

Midfielder Ben Thompson is likely to miss the clash with a hamstring complaint.

Dorchester Town manager Brian O'Donnell has urged his side to take their chances on Saturday afternoon.

O'Donnell told the Dorset Echo: "We can go anywhere and put in a performance, we just need to start putting our chances away.

"I haven't seen Team Bath play but I do know we drew 2-2 with them earlier in the season.

"They've come out of a bad run and it's important we go there and try to get something out of the game.

"But as always I look to win every game and we'll see if we can do it at Team Bath.

"We just need to sharpen up in front of goal. If we go ahead in the game it would be nice to see how we react to it."

Long-term absentee Ivan Forbes will once again not feature, while Mark Jermyn is suspended.

Danny Clay will not feature after the midfielder left the club due to a contract dispute.

Thurrock v Bromley

Team news to follow...

Worcester City v Hampton & Richmond Borough

Worcester City are hoping to keep their play-off dreams alive when they host high-flying Hampton & Richmond Borough on Saturday.

City manager Richard Dryden is confident his side can overcome the challenge of the visitors and complete a league double over the second-placed side.

Dryden told Worcester News: "We have completed a few doubles this season, which is pleasing, but it's going to be a hard game.

"The matches against Wimbledon and Hampton and Richmond have arrived close together and the squad is depleted but hopefully we can go on another run.

"I was aiming to pick up three points out of the two games and we have still got a chance of getting that.

"We know how Hampton play and have got to stand up and be counted. It's going to be a physical game, like it was down there.

"They are on a great run and that's why they are second in the league behind Wimbledon, who I can't see being caught. But we are confident.

"We were disappointed with the second-half on Tuesday because the first-half was fantastic and we could have been a goal or two up. Against Hampton and Richmond, we quietly fancy ourselves."

Tom Kemp will not feature due to work commitments. Graham Ward and Matt Dodd should feature.

Dave Bampton is sidelined with an ankle injury, but Jamie Price returns from a ban.

Hampton & Richmond Borough captain Dean Wells has revealed that his side are only thinking of the play-offs rather than the title.

Wells told Your Local Guardian: "We are not thinking or talking about the title.

"We just want to get as many points as we can as quickly as we can to secure our play-off spot.

"If you start thinking about the title that is when you begin to put too much pressure on yourself to perform.

"With our style of football we need to stay relaxed.

"To be honest we are not concerning ourselves with what AFC Wimbledon are doing.

"The title is in their hands, and we just have to concentrate on our own results."