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Friday, September 05, 2008, 09:16
Darren Watts' South Devon outfit are second in the table, just two points behind leaders Exeter Civil Service with two games in hand, but they are without several of their squad for the trip to Washbrook Meadows.
John Routledge and Tom Kelly are both sidelined with medial ligament damage while Richard Whatman's groin problem keeps him out of contention.
Nathan Dewdney and Owen Williams are both suspended with Lewis Robinson and Terry Mitchell on their holidays but Watts is confident he still has the tools to do the job.
"We are down to the bare bones this week but I am confident that we will still be strong enough for the task at hand.
"We have a few lads who have been sat on the bench lately who will now get a chance and also a few youngsters who can get a substitutes berth," explained the Stoke boss.
GALMPTON GENTS travel to Alphington tomorrow with a confidence that comes from winning three of their four league games this season - their only defeat coming at reigning champions Budleigh Salterton.
Galmpton have Sean Ingham working but otherwise have a full strength squad available when they travel to The Chronicles to take on an Alphas' side that has lost its' last three games, conceding 15 goals withouth reply.
Galmpton joint manager Pete Gartrell refused to be lulled into a false sense of security by that record warning: "I have been around this circuit a long time and Alphington away is never an easy game."
BUCKFASTLEIGH RANGERS are certainly not the whipping boys this season as seven points from their first four games proves.
Tomorrow they entertain a Teignmouth that is still reeling from last weekend's 6-3 home defeat by Totnes & Dartington.
The Bucks' have Lewis Daw and Cameron Colqhoun returning from holiday while Brett Easterbrook and Paul Chewin are free from work commitments.
They do have new signing Wayne Powney away on holiday but otherwise a full squad is available for manager Darren Raven for the first time this season.
The Teigns will once again be withouth midfielder Craig Stonelake (ankle) but he is not the only absentee as Ian Wilkinson (work) and Lee Breslan (unavailable) are also missing.
Manager Adrian Banning returns from holiday to take charge of the side and is delighted to find out that wing-back Dane Tyler is available for the next six weeks and Steve Shrubb is available to end of September when he returns to University.
LIVERTON UNITED manager Nick Threadgold is convinced that his side are not far away from being a good unit and he goes into tomorrow's visit of Crediton United in a confident mood.
"We were unlucky not to get something out of last week's game so we will keep things similar as there was not a lot wrong with the squad," he said.
The one additiion to that squad is midfielder Dexter Allsworth who returns after work commitments have curtailed his involvement.
TOTNES & DARTINGTON manager Russell Musker returns after missing Wednesday's 2-0 defeat at Exmouth and will be demanding a vast improvement in performance when his side entertain Appledore at the Foxhole Sports Ground.
"I have to give a big thank you to Ian Bastow, Mark Forrester and Brian Foster who have been looking after the team while I am away working.
"I will be free for all games very soon but without them the club would have struggled and I will be having a good long chat with them to sort things out for the game against a useful Appledore side," he explained.
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