E-mail Article Print this story

Ian Baird

Related Links

Saturday's Blue Square South preview

AFC Wimbledon will square off against Eastleigh in the pick of this weekend's fixtures, while Maidenhead United host play-off rivals Welling...

Hampton & Richmond will be looking to slash the gap on league-leaders AFC Wimbledon when they take on a struggling Havant and Waterlooville side.

The Beavers trounced play-off rivals Chelmsford 4-1 last time out and will be in a confident mood ahead of the encounter.

New-signings Jon McDonald and Josh Huggins could make their debuts at left back and in midfield respectively as the hosts attempt to build a winning streak.

Meanwhile , the Hawks will look to move further away from the bottom half of the table following their 1-0 win over Weston-super-Mare in midweek.

Visiting boss Shaun Gale is expecting a physical encounter and warned his charges to watch out for aerial threats.

Brett Poate will miss the clash due to persistent back problems, while Gary Holloway could be out for the rest of the season following a knee injury, which could require surgery.

Meanwhile, Gavin James will definitely miss out when Maidenhead United host play-off rivals Welling at York Road.

The forward dislocated his ankle and broke his fibula in the 3-0 win over Dorchester Town. Manager Johnson Hippolyte told the Maidenhead Advertiser: "Gavin had pins inserted which will come out in six weeks and a plate in his shin which will stay in for a year.

"I don't know the long-term diagnosis, but he could easily be out for six months.

"My heart goes out to him as he was just starting to find his feet. As a club we'll support him all we can."

Just three points separates the sides, with the Magpies in sixth spot and the Wings a position below them - having played two games less.

Full-back Tyron Smith will also be unavailable for the hosts as he has decided to depart the club following a poor run of form.

Leaders AFC Wimbledon will be boosted by the return of goalkeeper Nick Gindre from a week-long trial in South Africa with AmaZulu.

The Dons have been dropping points of late, giving the chasing pack - which includes Eastleigh - a chance to slash their once-commanding lead.

Visiting manager Ian Baird is hoping his side can capitalise on Wimbledon's four-game winless streak, but is wary of a drop in concentration levels as the season enters its climax.

Meanwhile, Bath City boss Adie Britton will have a major selection on his hands before the trip to Bromley.

The Romans' training session on Thursday had to be cancelled due to an alarming injury rate.

Richard Evans is out for the season following a broken jaw, while Martin Slocombe is still unable to run due to a bruised hip.

Stuart Douglas (head injury) still needs clearance from the club doctor before he can feature and Mark Badman is a major doubt after aggravating a groin strain.

Several other players are playing through the pain barrier with an assortment of niggles, while Lewis Hogg will also miss out as he completes a two-match suspension.

On the other hand, Bromley boss Mark Goldberg has accepted his club's promotion aims flew out of the window following the 2-1 loss to Weston-super-Mare.

The Lilywhites' mentor is now looking to give some of his fringe players and youngsters a run out.

"I will give some youngsters a go and try new things. However, the focus remains on winning games and finishing as high as possible," He told the Bromley Times.

Team Bath manager Andy Tillson believes the 2-1 victory over Thurrock was the perfect tonic for his side ahead of the clash with Chelmsford.

"We have got a really tough run of matches coming up and I felt we needed a win behind us," he told This Is Bath.

"We can go into those matches with a little bit of confidence because we played well on Tuesday and deserved the win."

However, Clarets boss Glenn Pennyfather insists his charges fear no-one despite only winning just two of their last nine encounters. He does however admit his side have a lot to work on.

"We've forced home what we want and certain things aren't being done at the moment, though everybody knows what's expected of them," said the coach.

"We're making too many individual mistakes which you can't legislate for in training. It's important to defend properly and it's not difficult to mark opponents from set plays."

The visitors will be boosted by the return of Bertie Brayley, who has rejoined the club following a spell at Eastleigh.

Worcester City are looking to exact revenge from Dorchester Town following their 3-1 reverse at the Avenue Stadium.

Richard Dryden admits his charges are amped for the encounter and is delighted his men will not have to come up against Wes Fogden, who did the damage in the defeat.

"It's a game we want to win," he told Worcester News.

"We got beat down there 3-1 and Wes Fogden was a massive difference in the game, he was the one who won the game for them and took the points away from us.

"He's not there any more which for us is a massive plus and we want to beat Dorchester tomorrow because our performances warrant that we should have won more games this month than we have."

Opposing mentor Roy O'Brien is urging his side to be more clinical in the final third.

"We've got to put our chances away. We had a few opportunities on Tuesday night and we've got to be more composed," he told the Dorset Echo.

"All we can do is take each game as it comes and try to stop making the stupid errors that are costing us.

"But we'll go to Worcester upbeat and try and get a result. The top teams are obviously the most consistent ones but in the lower half of the table anyone can beat anyone."

In Saturday's other fixtures, relegation-candidates Bognor Regis Town will tackle 15th-placed Newport County, while Weston-S-Mare will look to scupper Hayes & Yeading's promotion hopes.

Braintree Town will host Basingstoke, St Albans make the trip to Thurrock and rock-bottom Fisher Athletic will tackle Bishops Stortford.