Neal Ardley says he has decisions to make regarding the side he selects to face Dover on Saturday, with mixed news on the injury front.
We travel to the Crabble Athletic Ground seeking a third consecutive win having emerged victorious in our last two matches despite the likes of Ben Turner and Nathan Tyson being forced to miss out.
And ahead of the weekend, Ardley had some positives to report, although there are question marks over a couple of players.
“Nathan and Dion Kelly-Evans have come through a full week of training with no setbacks, so they have put themselves in contention for the weekend,” the boss told the media on Thursday afternoon.
“Also, Ben has been running since last Saturday and has come through unscathed on the physical side of things, so it’s a case of determining whether he’ll be OK when he’s fatigued.
“On the other hand, Damien McCrory has been very sore since Saturday after taking several whacks during the win against AFC Fylde.
“There are decisions to make regarding those two and I’ll be doing that over the next couple of days.”
Ardley hopes to see us build on our recent performances and has challenged the players to show a different kind of mental attribute over the next three matches.
“Belief comes from the experience of winning games of football so hopefully we’ll have that,” he said.
“There’s a saying I really like – ‘winning can make you soft’. To guard against that, the best teams have the best mentality and are relentless in their pursuit of victories.
“At this stage I don’t know if we have that so I want the players to prove it at Dover and then at home to Dagenham and Redbridge and Torquay as we go through another three-game week.”
Saturday’s hosts are currently positioned in the Vanarama National League play-offs but have recorded just one home win in 2019-20, something the boss expects to turn.
“They’ll be looking to change their home form starting from Saturday,” said Ardley.
“They’re above us because they’re doing a lot of things right and carry a lot of threats including striker Inih Effiong, who scores goals and is a real handful and a focal point.
“Andy Hessenthaler’s sides are always fit, structured and well organised so we have to handle the intensity and the big man up front otherwise we’re in for a tough afternoon.”