DORCHESTER Town boss Steve Thompson has warned the Magpies’ re-arranged Evo-Stik Southern Premier South game at basement club Staines Town “won’t be easy”.

Thompson’s men warmed up for the clash with a brilliant 4-1 win at fellow strugglers Gosport to extend their unbeaten run in regulation play to four games following 1-0 wins over Hungerford Town and Frome Town and a 2-2 draw with Weymouth.

Dorchester’s sequence of positive results is in direct response to the 5-0 loss sustained against then bottom side Chesham United – a scoreline Thompson is all too wary of repeating should a similarly poor performance take hold at the Swans.

Staines, meanwhile, have a new manager in Barry Silkman after previous manager Rob Easom was sacked having taken just three wins from 18 league games this season.

And Thompson believes both the new managerial input and banana skin of playing the league’s lowest team leaves no room for complacency.

He told Echosport: “It won’t be easy, (Gosport) wasn’t easy. It was right in the balance until we made it 2-1. They’re all important – it’s another game.

“Hopefully we can carry on playing well and carry on picking

up points. I expect they do see

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(Silkman) as a new beginning and that they can climb the table.

“If we need any warnings, obviously we played Chesham and they were bottom of the league, we’ve had that this year.

“We’ll be going in against bottom of the league and we know what can happen, so we certainly shouldn’t get taken by surprise.”

Thompson ensured two squad members – Ash Pope and Josh Williams – built up valuable match minutes on Saturday, while Ben Morris had the briefest of matches for Bridport, playing just five minutes.

Pope linked up with Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division side Christchurch and scored the Priory’s only goal in a 5-1 thrashing at Portland United, while Williams played 85 minutes of Bridport’s 4-1 loss to Clevedon Town.

Thompson said: “(Josh) was getting game time at Bridport and I think he needs that game time as a young player to develop.

“Ash as well played for Christchurch and I think he needs it as well. He comes into contention for a place (tomorrow).”

In-form striker Ben Seymour begins the first of a three-match ban for his straight red at Weymouth, meaning Dorchester’s settled starting line-up will be re-jigged.

Thompson said: “Obviously we do have to make a change, we’ve kept the same team for the last four games.

“It’s forced upon us, but I haven’t decided what change that will be.”