CHIPPENHAM Town boss Tommy Saunders will have to pick from a depleted squad for his side's opening two pre-season friendlies against Calne Town tomorrow night and Yeovil Town on Monday.

Saunders is expecting to have a squad of only around 14 players to take to the annual friendly with Screwfix Division One side Calne.

Assistant manager and striker Adie Mings is ruled out with a groin injury, while Tom Gould and Colin Towler are recovering from operations and Steve Brown is slowly working his way back from a lengthy lay-off with a broken leg.

Dutch trialist Kevin Staffen has had to cut his stay with Chippenham short, while new signing Ellis Wilmot is unavailable for the Calne game as he is attending trials for the England student's team.

Saunders does hope to have ex-Swindon Town defender Gareth Hall in the squad after he attended the club's first pre-season training, while Wayne Thorne should play in both matches after returning from honeymoon this week.

Former Bath City forward Dean Birkby should feature as continues to spend a trial period at Hardenhuish Park. Saunders said: "With our injury list Gareth Davies is probably our only recognised central defender who is fit at the moment. "We might need to put young Chris Collins from Swindon Town in defence."

He said the he hoped Calne Town would play the match in a friendly spirit, adding that he could ill afford to pick up any more injuries at this stage of pre-season.

"We always play Calne in pre-season, going back to when I was manager there," Saunders said.

"But I hope Calne go into the friendly in the spirit in which it is intended. Last year we brought our first XI down and had a good game and drew 0-0.

"We are hoping for the same thing again and want to keep the fixture running next year and beyond."

Calne manager Kevin Highmore said he would be fielding a slightly experimental side as he does not expect to get a clear idea of his first choice team for at least three or four weeks.

"At the end of the day it all depends on how many of the players we keep and how many new ones we can get in," Highmore said. It is all up in the air at the moment with various players on the move."

Saunders is relishing the chance to take on Nationwide League Third Division club Yeovil Town, but confessed he would have preferred to have faced the side later in pre-season.

"To be honest the Yeovil game has come too early for us," the manager said. "But when a club like Yeovil offers to come down for a friendly you just don't say no. They played us last year so for them to want to come back again underlines the respect they have for Chippenham Town."

Yeovil will go into Monday's game on the back of a tour of Belgium.

They kicked off with a goalless draw against UEFA Cup qualifiers Sporting Lokeren, before securing a 1-1 draw with German second division side Oberhausen.

They faced Belgium club Royal Antwerp on Monday this week where they took the lead before going down 2-1. They were due to play their last fixture of the tour against Gemini Beerschot last night.

Yeovil players to watch include Bracknell-born former Chelsea youth teamer Nick Crittendon, who scored against Antwerp, England semi-professional international striker Adam Stansfield and last season's top scorer 21-year-old Gavin Williams.

Chippenham are still awaiting their Dr Martens Premier Division fixture list. Secretary Chris Blake said: "In theory the fixtures usually out of the 15th of the month but we usually get them about now.

"However, there appears to be some sort of problem and we haven't had the fixtures through yet."

THE Gazette has teamed up with Chippenham Town to give free entry to Chippenhaam Town's prestige pre-season friendly with Football League newcomers Yeovil Town on Monday night.