Biddestone manager Gary Skidmore will have to rely on youth again as he prepares for the challenge of Screwfix football.

Unfortunately he has lost seven players this summer and admitted that he did not expect any of them to go until very recently.

Tim Tasker, Simon Gardner, Nick Fielding and Rob Pocock have all made the switch to Calne Town this summer.

Jamie Lyons has also left to go to Corsham, which is a big blow to Skidmore. Andy Ricks has an injury while Tom Evans has left the club to go travelling for a year. Skidmore said: "These were all first team players and this is a big blow to the team."

On the bright side, defender Andy Wileman and left wing Luke Denham have both signed from Corsham. Paul Pointer has also decided to return to the club after a year. He played his football in the Sunday league last season.

In an attempt to bolster the squad Skidmore has recruited five under 18 players. Goalkeeper Chris Snoddy has made the step up after impressing Skidmore and Adam Gainey has come over from the Calne youth team.

Skidmore said: "These two players will be the ones to watch this year. To be fair we can't pay players so we have to use local talent. Young players seem happy to use us as a stepping-stone and this is our best chance of surviving. It is a difficult situation to be in."

Skidmore has also added Biddestone youth players, defnder James Meaton, winger Luke Gullick and striker Ben Leach to his squad.

He said: "I'm keen to use fast wingers. These fresh chaps can give your team a boost."

Skidmore knows that the coming season will be a struggle. He said: "My aim is just to survive. I'd never though that I would say this but I'd be happy with fourth from bottom. That will be good enough for me. We will be competitive and the players want to test themselves. After the pre-season friendly games against Devizes and Corsham I think we have proved that we can compete in the Screwfix."

As they still have cricket being played at their ground they will have to travel away from home for their first four games of the season. Skidmore said: "This first period is an acclimatising month for us. Our season starts at our first home game."

"We have lost a lot of our experienced players. Our players seem fit, but I have not tried to push them. If you do, then by Christmas some players look jaded. We looked fit on Saturday."