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Saturday's Blue Square South preview

League leaders AFC Wimbledon will be looking to record a six consecutive win on Saturday while Team Bath, Welling and Maidenhead will be hoping to keep their unbeaten records intact.

Basingstoke v Chelmsford

Basingstoke Town are yet to record their first win of the new campaign and can expect a stern test when Jeff King's Chelmsford City make the trip to the Camrose.

The Dragons suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Havant & Waterlooville on Bank Holiday Monday and manager Frank Gray will be keen to make amends.

Chelmsford Assistant manager Glenn Pennyfather told the club's website: "The teams we've played so far have been scrapping for morsels and the only ones to come out and play against us have been Fisher Athletic.

"But we've not fired on all cylinders ourselves yet and we need to keep exploiting any gaps we can find.

"We will use the same approach for the Basingstoke match that we do for any other game."

Chris Duffy will definitely be out for City as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury while Jeff Minton is rated doubtful with a thigh strain.

James Lawson is expected to face a fitness test alongside Minton on his own minor knock.

Pennyfather added: "Our clean sheet record may have gone but we have still conceded the least goals in the division and remain unbeaten, so those are the records we will now be looking to protect.

"Let's hope we can go forty-two league games undefeated!"

Bath City v AFC Wimbledon

Bath City will be looking to record their first home win of the season when league leaders AFC Wimbledon visit Twerton Park.

Stripes boss John Relish receives a welcome boost with news that goalkeeper Paul Evans has returned to contention.

Evans has recovered from a long-standing knee injury and was rested on Bank Holiday Monday as a precautionary measure.

Midfielder Jamie Gosling has been diagnosed with having damaged a ligament in his back and faces between two and four more weeks on the sidelines.

Darren Edwards is rated as a major doubt for the visit of Wimbledon after injuring an ankle against TeamBath, so Danny Carey-Bertram should continue up front with Stuart Douglas.

Relish told the Bath Chronicle: "We're going to have our work cut out, but we go into the game in the knowledge that we've pulled things around and that's a big plus.

"They've won five from five, but those sort of runs do come to an end somewhere.

"There's no reason why we can't be the ones to do it."

The Dons will hand a late fitness test summer signing and top scorer Jon Main for the visit to Bath City.

The £25,000 signing is struggling with an ankle injury but physio Mike Rayner believes the striker should be fit to play.

Bognor Regis Town v Bishop's Stortford

Bognor Regis Town have collected just one point thus far and will be keen to record their first of the campaign when the Bishops visit Nyewood Lane.

"We've had a poor return of points from our first five games despite deserving something from four of them," Bognor boss Mick Jenkins told the Bognor Regis Observer.

"We have to get into good habits and put right our lack of points.

"Martin Hayes is the manager at Bishop's Stortford and he always produces good sides."

Zak Burke is likely to start up front again alongside Joe Gatting, while Scott Balderson will be hoping to keep his first-team berth after he edged Scott Harris out of the midfield at Eastleigh on Monday.

Goalkeeper James Lester is available to start as his ban for a red card only starts on Monday.

Bishop's Stortford picked up their first win of the season on Bank Holiday Monday and manager Martin Hayes will be hoping for more of the same on Saturday.

Hayes rang the changes following the defeat at Hayes & Yeading's Church Road last weekend with Kyri Kyprianou relegated to bench duty.

Sam Taylor and Dee Okojie started on Monday and will be hopeful of keeping their starting places.

Braintree Town v Team Bath

The Iron welcome promotion-favourites Team Bath to Cressing Road on Saturday afternoon having recorded just one point thus far.

Manager Lee Patterson is missing the services of the injured Mark Jones, Bradley Quinton, Andy Porter and Guiliano Grazioli.

Braintree Town chairman Lee Harding told the Braintree and Witham Times: "Team Bath are a full-time club - they'll be fit, organised and will hope to cause us problems.

"It'll be a big test for us and I hope that they will come to Cressing Road and try and attack us."

Team Bath will be looking to reclaim pole position on the Blue Square South table with another winning result this weekend.

The Scholars have an unbeaten record after five games, picking up four wins and one draw in the process.

Bromley v Worcester

Bromley will be looking to bounce back from the defeat to the league leaders when Richard Dryden's Worcester City make the trip to the Courage Stadium.

The Ravens currently find themselves in a mid-table berth with seven points from five games.

Worcester can call on skipper Craig Wilding once again, as his three-match suspension for a red card only starts next week.

Dryden is also hoping either Dave Bampton or Matt Dodd will be able to return in midfield from their respective ankle and groin injuries.

Full-back Shabir Khan has shaken off a minor groin strain to maintain his place in the starting XI.

The Royals are just one place beneath their opponents on the Blue Square South table with a lower goal difference.

Fisher Athletic v Dorchester

Fisher Athletic will look to earn their first victory of the season when Shaun Brooks' Dorchester Town visit Champion Hill Stadium.

The Fish languish near the foot of the table after picking up just one point from their first five games.

However, they can expect a stern examination from the Magpies, who will be focused on making amends for a disappointing defeat on Bank Holiday Monday.

Dorchester have re-signed Brighton & Hove Albion's Wes Fogden on a one-month loan deal on Friday and he is expected to feature against Fisher.

Brooks has no new injury concerns ahead of the game other than long-term casualties Mark Jermyn, Ivan Forbes and Roy O'Brien.

He told the Dorset Echo: "Fisher have had a tough start to the season but I've got nothing but admiration for their manager Wayne Burnett.

"It should be a decent game of football and I don't think they'll be down near the bottom for long.

"I've got every confidence in our own ability, and we need to work hard to try and get three points."

Hayes & Yeading v Welling

Hayes & Yeading will be keen to cut the gap on the chasing pack when Andy Ford's Welling United make the trip to Church Road.

United recorded their third consecutive win on Bank Holiday Monday after coming from behind to beat Richmond Borough 3-2.

Welling manager Andy Ford has completed the signing of midfielder Ross Lover from Cray Wanderers on a one-year deal this week.

Lover was also being tracked by league rivals AFC Wimbledon but he opted to link up with Ford at Park View Road instead.

"If I had left it any longer I think we might have lost him," Ford told Kent Online.

"He was on trial for AFC Wimbledon and I know they were keen on him.

"He is local which is important, is good at set pieces and is more attacking than defensive."

Ford has also revealed that he's running the rule over a number of trialists at the moment and is hoping to secure the services of two unnamed players.

Newport County v Hampton & Richmond

Dean Holdsworth will be looking to steer his side to their first win of the season when Hampton & Richmond Borough visit Newport Stadium.

The Exiles have struggled to get going after a number of disappointing results, prompting Holdsworth to bring in old pal Mark Aizlewood for a one-off coaching session.

Newport will once again miss the services of Martyn Giles, who is on the treatment table for another two weeks.

Hampton & Richmond boss Alan Devonshire will be keen to make amends after his side suffered their first league defeat on Monday afternoon.

Devonshire told Your Local Guardian: "I've said it before that the Blue Square South is more physical than playing in the top flight yet the Premier League players are rarely asked to play two games in two days. We should we?"

"I probably should have made few more changes to the team to keep things fresh, but as a manager I am still learning and it is something I'll take on board the next time.

"We've got about five players, who would otherwise be involved in the first team, out injured which doesn't make it easy, but we didn't play well."

St Albans v Eastleigh

Steve Castle's St Albans City are still looking for their first victory of the new campaign and can expect another tough test on Saturday when Eastleigh visit Clarence Park.

Castle is boosted by the return of defender Tobi Jinadu and attacking midfielder Gary Cohen, who both came through a reserve fixture in midweek unscathed.

Right back Lee Protheroe also made his return from injury and will certainly be a consideration for Castle with two league matches coming up in quick succession.

Eastleigh boss Ian Baird has doubts over the availability of skipper Andy Harris and new loanee Matt Bodkin.

The Spitfires have made a solid start to their campaign and find themselves in fifth place with 12 points.

Thurrock v Havant and Waterlooville

Rock-bottom Thurrock can expect another tough encounter this weekend when Shaun Gale's Havant and Waterlooville travel to Ship Lane.

The Fleet suffered a fifth consecutive defeat on Bank Holiday Monday and manager Hakan Hayrettin will be hoping to steer his side to a positive result on Saturday afternoon.

Havant will be in good spirits following their first win of the season on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Hawks hammered visitors Basingstoke Town 5-1 and Gale will be hoping his side can replicate that performance.

Weston-super-Mare v Maidenhead United

Weston-super-Mare will be looking to break into the promotion play-off places this weekend when Maidenhead United visit Woodspring Stadium.

The Seagulls have picked up ten points from five, whilst their opponents sit in fourth place with 13 points.

Maidenhead manager Johnson 'Drax' Hippolyte is expecting a tough game but is confident his side can pick up all three points.

"Weston are a very good side," he told the Maidenhead Advertiser. "They have started the season well and I am expecting a tough game."