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Saturday's Blue square South preview

AFC Wimbledon will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the Blue Square South table while Chelmsford and Hayes & Yeading will be looking to cut the gap on the league leaders.

AFC Wimbledon v Maidenhead Utd

Terry Brown's AFC Wimbledon will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the table when Maidenhead United make the trip to New Bucks Head.

The Dons secured the signature of Grays Athletic striker Danny Kedwell in midweek and the former Welling United man is expected to make his debut on Saturday.

The league leaders hold a two-point lead over Chelmsford City, who are in second place, and a bad result this weekend could see them knocked off the top of the pile.

Maidenhead have made a good start to their campaign and currently find themselves in fifth place with 17 points from seven.

Another winning result this weekend could see plausibly them shoot up to first place, if all the teams above them fail to pick up any points.

Bishop's Stortford v Newport County

Martin Hayes' Bishop's Stortford will be looking to break into the top-half of the table when strugglers Newport County visit Woodside Park.

The Bishops came out on top in a five-goal thriller against Basingstoke Town last weekend and Hayes will undoubtedly look to steer his side to another victory.

Newport County travel to Bishop's Stortford with two new players in their squad.

Manager Dean Holdsworth is boosted by the return of goalkeeper Glyn Thompson and centre-half Martyn Giles.

The duo have been sorely miss of late as Newport have struggled to keep a clean sheet in their absence.

The Exiles are currently in 17th place with five points from seven fixtures.

Bromley v Weston-Super-Mare

Bromley manager Mark Goldberg has called on his players to return to winning ways when the Seagulls visit Courage Stadium on Saturday.

The Lillywhites have struggled to find their feet thus far with injuries to a number of key players causing selection problems for Goldberg.

He told the Bromley Times: "Considering the fact we seem to always have six or seven of the first team squad unavailable, we should be satisfied with the two points from the last games.

"With 17 new players we are essentially a new team and it was always going to take time to get into winning ways. The draws were important because it was vital to stop the flow of losing which can become a habit."

The Seagulls will be in a confident spirits after playing to a 1-1 draw with leaders AFC Wimbledon last weekend.

They then went on to play to a thrilling 4-4 draw with Eastleigh in the Setanta Shield on Tuesday and eventually narrowly lost out on penalties.

New signing Ludovic Quistin started on Tuesday and manager Tony Ricketts may be tempted to hand him another start on Saturday.

Chelmsford v Havant and Waterlooville

Chelmsford are boosted by the return of Chris Moore ahead of the visit of Hampshire side Havant & Waterlooville.

The forward has made a quick recovery from the broken nose and eye injury he sustained against Bromley almost a fortnight ago.

Head Coach Glenn Pennyfather said: "It's going to be a critical match for both teams.

"It's always important when there are three points at stake and, particularly as both our sides are chasing promotion, this game will be no different."

Right-back Justin Miller and skipper Andy Duncan will face late fitness tests after suffering knocks in their previous encounter.

Three victories on the bounce, including a morale-boosting 5-1 home win over local rivals Basingstoke Town, will ensure Shaun Gale's men provide a stern test for Jeff King's City squad.

The Hawks progressed to the second round of the Setanta Shield by beating Maidenhead United 2-1 in midweek and they will be keen to build on their cup success.

Shaun Gale has seen his side go unbeaten in their last six games and told Portsmouth Today: "That makes it six games unbeaten and that is a good habit to be in."

Dorchester v Hayes & Yeading

Dorchester Town aim to record their first home win of the season and end Hayes & Yeading's winning run when the pair meet at the Jewson Stadium on Saturday.

Striker Ryan Moss returns to contention while Danny Clay could return after personal reasons, and a one-match ban, kept him out of the Magpies' last three fixtures.

Kevin Hill and Mitchell Nicholson will face late fitness tests but the latter is unlikely to have recovered sufficiently from the knee injury he sustained against Newport.

Shaun Brooks told the Dorset Echo: "There will be changes made from Tuesday.

"Ryan will come back in, Kevin we will look at, Danny is a possibility and there is also Gary Bowles, who came off the bench on Tuesday, and Patrece Liburd to think about as well.

"We've got to get Mitchell looked at and see how he is, but he's very doubtful for tomorrow."

Hayes & Yeading currently find themselves perfectly positioned in third place with 18 points from eight fixtures.

If they do managed to record a winning result on Saturday, then they certainly stand the chance of overtaking the Dons at the top of the pile.

Eastleigh v Welling

Ian Baird's Eastleigh will be looking to break into the play-off places on Saturday when Welling United make the trip to Silverlake Stadium.

The Spitfires recorded a comeback victory over Braintree Town last weekend thanks to goals from two substitutes.

Substitutes Adam Roberts and Jamie Brown inspired Eastleigh to a 2-1 win and they will be pushing for starting berths this time around.

Welling manager Andy Ford is hoping that his side can find a cutting edge in front of goal after a disappointing start to the season.

The Wings have failed to find the target since Charlie Sheringham scored in the 2-1 defeat at Hayes & Yeading.

He told the Newsshopper: "We've really missed Charlie since he picked up his injury, but we can't expect to rely on one person to come up with the goals and other people need to contribute as well.

"Hopefully Charlie will be involved and we need to be more ruthless in front of goal on Saturday than we have been lately.

"Eastleigh have a big budget with strong aspirations of winning promotion, so it will be a difficult place to go.

Welling will remain without the services of Tony Sinclair and Orlando Smith, but Ford is hoping the pair will be back within the next couple of weeks.

Fisher Athletic v Basingstoke

Fisher Athletic will looking to get their campaign back on track when Frank Gray's Basingstoke town visit Champion Hill Stadium.

The Fish find themselves at the wrong end of the table with a disappointing total of four points from seven fixtures.

Manager Wayne Burnett steered his side to a morale-boosting win over Basingstoke in the Setanta Shield in midweek and he will be hoping for a repeat performance from his players.

Meanwhile, the Dragons will have to pick themselves up after Tuesday's defeat and put in an improved performance if they wish to steer clear of the relegation zone.

Basingstoke hover dangerously close to the dreaded drop zone, with only their goal difference keeping them above Fisher, who are in 20th place with the same points total.

Hampton & Richmond v Bath City

Hampton & Richmond Borough will be keen to return to winning ways after recording two successive league draws.

The Beavers have lost ground on the chasing pack after picking two points from their last two matches and manager Alan Devonshire will undoubtedly be focused on setting things straight.

Striker Nana Badu has finally returned to contention after 12 months blighted with injury.

The 25-year-old former Walton Casuals front man made his first start for his new club in last week's 3-0 Setanta Shield defeat at Braintree Town and he will be hoping for his first league start on Saturday.

Bath City currently hold an identical points total to their opponents but sit in 13th because of their goal difference.

Stripes boss John Relish steered his side to an extra-time Setanta Shield victory over tenants Team Bath at Twerton Park on Tuesday and will be hoping for more of the same.

City strengthened their injured-ravaged squad with the non-contract signature of midfielder Adam Connelly this week and he is expected to play in Saturday's clash.

St Albans v Thurrock

St Albans City have decided to release midfielder Sean Ridgway ahead of the match with Thurrock at Clarence Park on Saturday.

Ridgway signed for the Saints in the summer and started the first five matches of the campaign before losing his place to James Quilter.

City then picked up two league wins on the bounce with Quilter and Ben Bowditch impressing.

If Quilter is not fit to start on Saturday manager Steve Castle could opt for Lee Clarke or James Fisher in a midfield role.

Thurrock's 2-0 win over Welling United in the Setanta Shield on Tuesday night was their first win this season.

Manager Hakan Hayrettin will be hoping their luck has turned for good and translates into another win this Saturday.

Team Bath v Bognor Regis Town

Team Bath prepare for the visit of Bognor Regis Town to Twerton Park on Saturday as they look to cut the gap on league leaders AFC Wimbledon.

The Scholars prepare to face the Rocks for the first time in their history after recording a 2-0 win against St Albans City last weekend.

Bognor Regis Town boss Mick Jenkins told the Bognor Regis Observer: "Bath have had a good start since getting promoted to this league, but we've had them watched and will go there aiming to come back with some reward.

"We had a good training session on Thursday night. The lads' tails are up after getting their first win and hopefully that will show on Saturday."

Simon Jackson could return after a back injury but Zak Burke and Scott Balderson are set to miss out.

Sussex-born Tom Clarke signed for Bognor on Friday and the former Yeovil Town man will be included in the travelling squad but goalkeeper James Lester is still suspended.

Worcester v Braintree Town

Richard Dryden's Worcester City will be looking to close the gap on the play-off places when Braintree Town visit St George's Lane.

Dryden is short on attacking options after Mark Owen has left the club to rejoin Evesham United, while captain Craig Wilding serves the second of his three-match suspension.

The Royals boss is targeting a new signing before Saturday's clash but if he is unsuccessful, then it is expected that Matt Dinsmore will be paired with Marco Adaggio.

Dryden told Worcester News: "We are trying to get one or two players in. We might be short for the weekend but I am looking for the long term.

"I know I can't get some players in that I'm looking at currently so, if I bring someone in, it will have to be a short-term fix."

City goalkeeper Danny McDonnell suffered a gashed leg in training on Thursday and will face a late fitness test.

Braintree boss Lee Patterson will have to make do without the services of Giuliano Grazioli after the striker quit the club to link up with manager Andy Hessenthaler at Ryman League premier division leaders, Dover Athetic.

Louis Riddle and James Hawes are injury doubts for Braintree and Micky Shinn is definitely out with a hamstring problem.

However, Adrian Deane returns to the squad.