‘We can’t go there thinking we’ll score seven’
Fareham Town manager
Pete Stiles warned his side to be wary of a wounded Hythe & Dibden outfit.
The Reds make the trip to the winless Wessex League Premier Division basement boys having hammered them 7-0 in the reverse fixture at Cams Alders last weekend.
But Stiles is expecting a completely different challenge.
And he told his players they would be foolish to think they could just turn up and expect an easy afternoon on the Waterside.
Stiles said: ‘They’re not going to have liked what happened to them last Saturday and they’re going to be up for every point.
‘We can’t go there thinking we’ve just got to turn up and we’ll score seven goals.
‘They’re going to fight for everything, we’ll find a completely different game.
‘We’re not going there to draw or lose, we’re going there to get the three points. We’ve looked at the whole of this month and there are a lot of games there which, in the past, they were matches we were expected to win but we’ve slipped up on.
‘I suppose you could say this is one we’re expected to win so we’ve got to make sure we go there and win.’
Fareham will have to make do without Josh Benfield, who netted twice in last weekend's win, and Garry Moody, with the pair both being rested having played through the pain barrier in recent weeks.
On the plus side, Stiles is expecting to welcome back Simon Woods, Luke Slade and Callum Benfield.
And he is hoping his team can start pushing on this month after a slow start to the season with a number of injury issues.
Stiles added: ‘August was horrendous because not only did we not have a good pre-season because of games being cancelled and one thing or another, it was a case of August we also lost a lot of players through unavailability.
‘I think the more things go on through September and October you’ll have more availability with players.’
Hythe’s losing run continued in midweek with a 6-0 Wessex Cup loss at lower division Folland.