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Saturday's Blue Square South Preview

Blue Square South leaders Team Bath take on Hampton & Richmond on Saturday while Eastleigh play host to Hayes & Yeading at Silverlake Stadium.

AFC Wimbledon v Bishop's Stortford

Terry Brown's AFC Wimbledon prepare for the visit of Bishop's Stortford on Saturday as they look to close the gap on the league leaders.

The Dons will be in good spirits after Tuesday night's FA Cup victory against Dover Athletic and Brown is hoping that his side can put in another solid performance this weekend.

Brown told the club's website: "Tuesday's home win puts us in a good frame of mind for the upcoming visits of both Bishop's Stortford and Havant & Waterlooville.

"Like us, Bishop's Stortford are doing well in the FA Cup and I'm sure the success they have had there will give them the confidence to come here and do well.

"These two home league games represent a fantastic opportunity for us to force our way back into the top two.

"We must ensure that, however well we do in the FA Cup, it doesn't affect our major target of promotion into the Blue Square Premier."

Bishop's Stortford are boosted by the return to fitness of midfielder Luke Webster, who came through a reserves clash in midweek unscathed.

23-year-old left-back David Chick joined the Blues ahead of their FA Cup 4th qualifying round win against Rugby Town on the weekend and he is expected to make his league debut this Saturday.

Bath City v Fisher Athletic

Bath City prepare to take on Fisher Athletic after a number of big changes at Twerton Park this week.

Manager John Relish has stepped down to focus on developing the club's proposed youth academy and assistant manager Adie Britton has subsequently taken over the managerial reins.

Left winger Richard Evans joined the club this week following his release by league rivals Newport County and could make his debut against Fisher Athletic, depending on whether or not Bath get his international clearance ahead of Saturday's clash.

Britton told The Bath Chronicle: "I have been interested in him for a long time - about four years - so I'm obviously delighted to have him on board.

"Going forward, I want us to play with a lot of width on both sides - we haven't had that since I've been here.

"We haven't had anyone who is an out-and-out winger playing on the left since Macca (Mark McKeever) moved on and, thinking forward to Christmas time when Ali Gibb is fit, lining up in a 4-4-2 formation with those two on the flanks is an exciting prospect.

"I can't wait to see the pair of them out there together."

Midfielder Scott Rogers returns to contention after a hamstring injury, while Sekani Simpson (hamstring), Lewis Hogg (knee) and Steve Jones (broken toe) are all nursing knocks but should be included in the squad.

Fisher Athletic currently find themselves hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone, just one point clear of Thurrock, who are in 20th place with seven points.

Braintree Town v Newport County

Braintree Town will be hoping to open a bigger gap on the dreaded drop zone this weekend when Newport County visit Cressing Road Stadium.

The Iron recorded a morale-boosting win against high-flying Hayes & Yeading in their last league encounter and manager Lee Patterson is looking for a repeat performance on Saturday.

He told the club's website: "The result at Hayes & Yeading was a terrific performance in that we worked very hard all over the pitch and limited the league leaders to only one shot on target in 90 minutes.

"We looked solid and the work ethic was where it should be and we closed them down all over the pitch."

On the injury front, Louis Riddle, Andy Porter, Bradley Quinton, Ryan Moran and Chris Piper all picked up knocks in the Setanta Shield loss to Blue Square South new boys Chelmsford City on Monday evening.

Newport boss Dean Holdsworth is raring to go after a two-week break from Blue Square South football.

County cruised to a comfortable victory against Bromley at the start of the month and Holdsworth and his charges now face two away games in the space of 72 hours.

He told the South Wales Argus: "It's been a nightmare not playing for two weeks, it couldn't have come at a worse time for us because everyone has been buzzing around.

"But now we are ready for action again and feel it will be a good test for us, two tough away fixtures.

"We've been working hard on things like set-pieces, because attention to detail away from home is absolutely key."

Holdsworth has a fully-fit squad to choose from and will include Portuguese striker Rui Branguina in his squad for at least one of the games.

He added: "Rui is like a breath of fresh air and the lads are quite taken with him," he said.

"His English is good and he has very educated feet, potentially he could be a big acquisition for us.

"I am not sure whether he will start either game, but I intend to have a look at him sooner rather than later and we all have high hopes he can feature more regularly in the near future.

"Picking the side for tomorrow will be no easy task as the boys all look great at the moment."

Bromley v Basingstoke

Mark Goldberg's Bromley returned to winning ways last weekend and they will be targeting another victory when rock-bottom Basingstoke make the trip to The Courage Stadium.

The Ravens edged out high flyers Chelmsford City at Melbourne Stadium on Saturday to end a three-match losing streak, much to the delight of Goldberg.

He told Bromley Times: "It was a great response from the players and it was especially pleasing because it was a very good all-round performance.

"One-nil certainly did not flatter us and we should have scored more. It would not have been an unfair reflection if we had won by two or three.

"It was important that we came out of our slump by getting a result against a really top team."

Basingstoke will be in good spirits heading into Saturday's clash after cruising through to the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup with a 3-0 win at Bashley in Tuesday night's replay.

On loan striker Mitchell Bryant scored a superb hat-trick as Bashley failed to cope with the skilful player's explosive finishing.

'Stoke currently find themselves propping up the bottom of the Blue Square South table with four points from 11 games.

Dorchester v Chelmsford

Dorchester Town will be targeting their second win of the season when high-flying Chelmsford City visit Jewson Stadium on Saturday.

In fact, Dorchester are yet to record their first home win of the season and manager Shaun Brooks is urging his players to show some confidence this weekend.

He told the Dorset Echo: "As I've always said, if we play well then we'll be a match for any team in this division. I think tomorrow's game will be a good marker for us.

"The lads have been in good spirits and we're all looking forward to it, I'm sure the players are relishing playing against one of the top teams.

"We need to go into the game confident, and with energy and pace."

Tom Mitchell is the only injury concern ahead for Brooks after limping off against Gosport Borough in the FA Cup last weekend.

Meanwhile, Jeff King will be hoping his City team can bounce back from defeat when they make the journey to Dorchester Town.

The Clarets are again likely to be without experienced defender Chris Duffy who has a groin injury, but otherwise the same squad will be available that faced Bromley last week and the opportunity remains to sit top of the table after the match if Chelmsford defeat their Dorset opponents and Team Bath lose elsewhere.

Eastleigh v Hayes & Yeading

Eastleigh face a tough test with the visit of Hayes & Yeading after a week of change and upheaval.

The Spitfires have slumped to three straight defeats over the last week and to make matters worse, player/assistant manager Dave Hughes, defender Warren Goodhind and striker James Baker parted ways with the club in midweek.

The Blue Square South club announced plans to cut costs this week and Eastleigh boss Ian Baird has his fingers crossed that more won't be leaving the club in the near future.

He told the Daily Echo: "We have worked extremely hard since pre-season to try and turn things around and improve on what we had before.

"So it's very disappointing to lose three players very quickly, but I am crossing my fingers and legs that I won't lose any more."

Hayes and Yeading United booked their place in the final qualifying round of the FA Cup last weekend with a 3-1 win at Kingstonian.

United are sitting pretty in third place with 24 points and Manager Garry Haylock will be looking to steer his side to another victory this weekend.

Hampton & Richmond v Team Bath

Hampton & Richmond Borough will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to seven games when league leaders Team Bath visit Beveree Stadium.

Francis Quarm is expected to miss out after suffering an ankle injury on Saturday, while skipper Dean Wells should return from suspension.

However, centre-back Orlando Jeffrey is expected to miss out once again.

Lawrence Yaku missed the Havant & Waterlooville match last Saturday with a thigh strain but should be fit to play.

Manager Alan Devonshire told the Hounslow Chronicle: "Bath are a full-time outfit who are very mobile and well-drilled.

"But we are really beginning to put things together after an up-and-down start to the season."

Team Bath head coach Andy Tilson steered his side to victory against Frome Town in midweek to book their place in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup.

However, the Scholars boss is still wary of Saturday's opponents and wants his side to avoid any slip-ups.

He told The Bath Chronicle: "This weekend is massive for us. We don't want to lose any momentum in the league because of a good cup run."

Havant and Waterlooville v Worcester

Havant and Waterlooville will be looking to bounce back to winning ways this weekend when Worcester City make the trip to West Leigh Park.

The Hawks were edged out by league leaders Team Bath in their last league encounter and currently find themselves in 11th place with 15 points.

Worcester City boss Richard Dryden will be hoping his side can record a third consecutive victory in Hampshire.

The Loyals face a hectic schedule in the next week and Dryden hopes his side can start it off with a good result against the Hawks.

Forward Matt Dinsmore is a doubt through illness, while Shabir Khan will face a late fitness test.

Dryden told Worcester News: "The games are coming thick and fast and we are looking forward to them.

"It will be a very crucial period and if we can start the seven days off with a good result, it holds us in good stead for the other two matches.

"There are some sides in our league who are better away from home and Havant must be one of them.

"I don't know what their problem is at home but we are going down there to try and spoil the party and keep it to one win at home for them this season."

St Albans v Bognor Regis Town

St Albans manager Steve Castle has a major injury crisis on his hands ahead of the visit of Bognor Regis Town to Clarence Park.

Midfielder Hector Mackie has returned to St Albans for a second spell this week, while Kwame Asamoah has also penned a deal with the Friars.

Castle could be missing as many as seven fist-team regulars due to injury and suspension.

However, one bit of good news for the boss is that 24-year-old centre-back Ryan Frater is available for selection after recovering from a broken leg.

Castle told the St Albans & Harpenden Review: "It is a fantastic boost for us. He was one of our best players last season and was an absolute rock at the back.

"I'm sure that if we had him available to us we would have cleared the ball and we would have won at least a couple more games this season."

Bognor Regis Town head into Saturday's clash boosted by three new exciting signings.

Mick Jenkins has signed Louie Castles and Jordan Hughes on work experience forms from Portsmouth, and Kane Wills on loan from Brighton and all three made their debuts in the Setanta Shield match against Lewes in midweek.

Bognor are currently second from bottom in the Blue Square South and have recorded just five points thus far.

Thurrock v Maidenhead Utd

Strugglers Thurrock can expect a stern test of the Blue Square South credentials when Maindenhead United visit Ship Lane on Saturday.

The Fleet find themselves in the relegation places with a disappointing total of seven points from 11 games.

Ex-Thurrock striker Richard Pacquette makes a return with Maidenhead and is expected to be paired alongside Rocky Baptiste in attack.

Maidenhead boss Johnson Hippolyte has a number of injuries to contend with ahead of Saturday's clash.

Jack Bradshaw has suffered what seems to be a knee-ligament injury and he will definitely miss out.

Hippolyte told the Maidenhead Advertiser: "We've got some key players out right now," he admitted.

"Among others Dale Binns is still struggling with a dead leg, Mark Nisbet's got a sore calf and Rocky Baptiste injured his hamstring in his debut but is the kind of player that didn't want to come off in his first game."

"Thurrock are a good young side, with lots of pace.

"I went and watched them the other day and they look like the kind of side that could cause us a few problems.

"But if we play the way we can then I'm confident that we can come away with a good result."

Welling v Weston-Super-Mare

Welling United will be looking to cut the gap on the play-off places on Saturday when Weston-Super-Mare visit Park View Road.

The Wings are currently sitting in ninth place with 18 points, five points behind Maidenhead, who find themselves in fifth place after 10 matches.

Welling boss Andy Ford will have to make do without the services of Craig Braham-Barrett, after the defender agreed to join League One side Peterborough United this week.

Ryan Martin, Sol Pinnock and Chris Nurse have also left the club this week and Ford is looking to use the fee from Braham-Barrett's transfer to fund new player signings.

Weston-Super-Mare recorded a 2-1 win against Thurrock in their last league match to move up to tenth place in the Blue Square South standings.

Weston Manager Tony Ricketts has been looking to strengthen his goalkeeping options this week but was unsuccessful in his bid to bring former Weston favourite Steve Book back to Woodspring Stadium.

The 39 year-old Book is currently goalkeeping coach at League One side Bristol Rovers.