DEVIZES Town manager Dave Hopkins is doing his best to juggle his small squad with a string of matches of varying importance coming up.
Tonight Devizes entertain Marlborough in the Wiltshire Senior Cup and Hopkins will look to rest some of his first team players.
On Saturday three league points will be up for grabs as rock-bottom Dawlish Town provide the opposition at Nursteed Road. Then the following Saturday is the highly anticipated local derby clash at Westbury United in the second round proper of the FA Vase.
Devizes were without a fixture last weekend so Hopkins gave the majority of his players a chance to refresh themselves before this tricky run of matches.
He said: "Nick Taylor, Nathan Moffatt and Nathan Sheridan all played for the reserves in a 2-1 defeat against Corsham at the weekend.
"I didn't want too play too many first teamers but they've been on the bench and Taylor is coming back from a long term and needs games. The rest of the lads had the weekend off. We've got a run of games coming up so we gave them a little rest to focus on games ahead."
Tonight Devizes will be expected to dispatch Marlborough but Hopkins is keen that his players do not take the game lightly.
"It is a potential banana skin," he said. "We will be playing a mixed side of four or five reserves and five or six first teamers. It will still be a good enough team on paper to win but it is down to how it goes on the night. Marlborough will try hard to get a result because it looks good on them.
"We have a good chance of going far in the cup but we are looking at the bigger picture.
"We've got an important game against Dawlish on Saturday which will hopefully boost us before the Westbury match the following weekend."
Hopkins empathises with Dawlish's struggles on and off the pitch this season but hopes his side can put them to the sword.
"Dawlish have gone through similar circumstances financially to us," he said. But they now have a new chairman who is prepared to get players and a new manager with bags of Western League experience.
"It is important we play our strongest side because it will not be easy.
"Melksham only beat them 3-0 but I won't mind if we only win 1-0 as long as we give a good, solid performance."
Devizes have injury concerns over Steve Campbell (leg) and Andy Coombes (ankle). The pair will be rested tonight in the hope they are fit for the Dawlish game.
Justin Lisle, Kevin Bush and Nick Mooney should all be available again while long-term injury victim Brad Newman is making progress.
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