Today's Toolstation League match previews

Both sides are vying with Larkhall Athletic and Longwell Green Sports for the two promotion spots available and the outcome of today's game could have a big influence on the outcome.

Fourth-placed Heath were the last side to beat Bradford in the league when they triumphed 3-0 at the end of August, since which time Bradford have gone on a superb 18-match unbeaten league run.

“It’s our biggest game of the season yet,” admitted Shanley.

“We want to turn them over for obvious reasons, not so much because they beat us, more so because we want the three points to pull away from them.

“If we were to win that would put us six points ahead of Cadbury Heath with a game in hand.”

Defender Lee Salter is out of todays' game with a shoulder injury, but everyone else is fit.

The important games do not stop coming for Shanley’s men as in eight days time they will take on league leaders Larkhall at Trowbridge Road.

Shanley said: “It’s a massive eight days for us. Within eight days it could look a lot healthier, or not as good as we want it to.

“We’ve got Cadbury to play, we’ve got Larkhall to play and they are both home games.”

Larkhall may have three games in hand over Bradford, with whom they are level on points, but they have a tough run of fixtures coming up.

After they play Bradford next weekend, the Bath side take on Longwell twice in the space of a fortnight with a game against Cadbury in between.

While acknowledging Larkhall were “hot favourites” for the title, Shanley said: “They have got a lot of games to get in and with the weather like it is, I’d have thought it would hinder them.”

Westbury United v Roman Glass St George

PAUL Brickley is hoping the Meadow Lane pitch dries up so Westbury United’s Toolstation League Division One meeting against Roman Glass St George can go ahead this afternoon.

The Westbury boss said: “I looked at the pitch on Monday night and it was under four inches of water. All the snow had melted and it had poured down.

“You would have been better off using it as a swimming pool. I just hope it dries out by Saturday.”

Brickley may have to contend with problems up front tomorrow as three of his strikers could miss the game.

Nick Ridout will definitely not play as he is suspended due to picking up five bookings.

Mark Pearce (hip) and Dan Domini (ankle) are both doubtful.

Brickley, well known for regularly attending Western League matches, has unusually not watched Roman Glass play this year.

He said: “I don’t know anything about them, which is a first for me, to be honest.”

The White Horse Men play Odd Down on Tuesday in a rearranged fixture from last month.

Westbury’s postponed game at Minehead on Saturday has been rearranged for Saturday 11 April.

Brickley said he was pleased to have the game on a Saturday, as it was inconvenient to travel there in midweek.

Melksham Town v Welton Rovers

MELKSHAM Town are faced with a major fixture backlog following their latest postponement away at Bishop Sutton on Saturday.

The Conigre outfit have had four games called off within the space of 22 days and now face a race against time to fit in the rest of their matches by the beginning of May.

Melksham have still got 19 league games to play as well as a Wiltshire Senior Cup semi-final and possible final.

Manager Wayne Thorne labelled their recent lack of fixtures, “an absolute joke”.

“We’ve got to fit in 21 games in three months and Saturday’s going to be touch and go as well,” he said, of today's home match against Welton Rovers.

“It’s been difficult to manage the training, we haven’t been able to train a lot because the facilities haven’t been there.

“That’s what we’ve got to deal with. I’ve been walking around like a bear with a sore head, but you’re not going to hear me moan because there’s lots of other managers going through the same thing.”

Should today's match against in-form Welton go ahead, David Seal will not be fit as he is recovering from appendicitis, while Adam Young is suspended.

Thorne played alongside Welton boss Mark Harrington when they were at Chippenham Town, and the pair remain friends.

“We’ll have a laugh and a joke whatever the result,” said Thorne.

“Come three o’clock he’ll want his team to get three points and I’ll want my team to get three points.”

Elsewhere, Thorne has criticised the departed Dan Sloan, who has moved back to Corsham after only two months at The Conigre.

Thorne said: “He’s been difficult to manage at times, I don’t think he suits the way we’re trying to go at Melksham.

“I think he’s happy to play in his comfort zone.”

Chard Town v Calne Town

CALNE Town assistant manager Simon Hillier says his side are not worried about Chard Town’s infamous sloping pitch ahead of this afternoon's Premier Division encounter.

The Zembard Lane surface is notoriously troublesome for visiting sides but Hillier says the team and management are focused on other areas.

He said: “We’re not worried about the pitch, we’ve been down there and won before.

“We’ll worry more about how we apply ourselves. It’s never an easy place to go. We’ve never really gone there and annihilated them.

“Chard always hang in there, they tend to rely on their home form. I’ve got no doubt if we go there and perform to our strengths, we’ll get a result.”

In the light of recent weather, Hillier said his side were “first and foremost hoping the game will go ahead.”

Hillier hopes stamina will not be a problem against Chard despite Calne’s recent lack of fixtures.

He said: “We’ve got quite a fit side, we’ve got lads who do a little bit on their own.”

Both sides go into the game desperately in need of a league win.

Calne have not won a league game since before Christmas, while Chard’s last league victory is back at the beginning of November.

Gary Blackwood is out of today's match with an ankle injury.

Russell Lodge and Ben Fitch are rated 50-50 and Toby Colbourne is still sidelined.

Bristol Manor Fram v Frome Town

ANDY Crabtree has questioned whether the desire of his Frome Town players matches his own ahead of today's Premier Division clash at Bristol Manor Farm.

The Badgers Hill boss is still smarting from the 2-1 defeat to bottom side Barnstaple Town, and has accused some of his players of putting his own future in doubt through their failure to produce the goods.

He said: “After our performance at Barnstaple I think there’s a few people who need a kick up the backside.

“It’s firmly down to the players, I’m not going to take responsibility for a performance like that.

“I quite like it here, I’m not prepared to jeopardise my future at the club through players having a bad attitude.

“It’s as if some of them didn’t care. Well, I care a lot, I’ve got a lot of pride in what I do.

“We’ve got some very talented players but sometimes you do wonder whether they have got the application.

“It’s time for the talking to stop now. I’m fed up with their excuses, there’s no excuse for such a shoddy performance.”

Crabtree says there should be more competition for places following the signing of Shaun Percival from Devizes Town this week.

The former Trowbridge Town man can play in both midfield and defence.

Jon Crowley will miss today's game at fellow title chasers Manor Farm as he is out for the season, and Matt Cowler is still not match-fit.

Mark Salter is back from holiday, while Joe Gomes has been told by his doctor that he can play again following an ankle injury.

However, should Gomes suffer a reoccurence of the injury, his doctor has said he will need an operation.

Frome had been due to have their ground graded on Monday to see if it was up to the requirements of the Southern League.

However, the inspection was postponed due to the snow.

Ilfracombe Town v Corsham Town

DEFIANT Corsham Town boss Mel Gingell says his side would have won the Toolstation League Premier Division title comfortably this season, if they had managed to retain their players from the previous campaign.

The highlight of Corsham’s league season last time out was a 1-0 away victory against eventual champions Truro City in December 2007, but Corsham’s current starting eleven is vastly different to the side they put out that day.

Of that starting 11, four players, Kris Davis, James Lye, Ross Lye and Jamie Lyons have all moved to other clubs.

Simon Gray and Jamie Moss have both been out for most of the season, while Matt Windle, Nick Gingell and Craig Gingell have all spent time injured.

Jason Walsh has not played this campaign due to personal problems, and Gingell says his side are counting the cost of these absences.

He said: “We were well-balanced last year, but we lost a lot of our players at the start of the season. This year what we’ve had to do is rebuild the side.

“We would have won that league by a long, long way with the side we had last year.

“We’ve been unfortunate in a few things. My suspension didn’t help and having no money is a bad blow, that was probably the biggest blow of the lot.

“Hopefully we’re going to have some money available next year but that would be up to the chairman. I think they are trying hard to raise some money.

“I still think the side we’ve got is capable of doing equally as well given time.”

The Reds make the journey to second-bottom Ilfracombe Town today.

Gingell has bolstered his squad with three signings. Former Chippenham Town midfielder Owen Bryant has come in and defender Rob Stephens has arrived from Larkhall Athletic.

Dan Sloan rejoined the club on Wednesday after leaving for Melksham Town only two months ago.

Gingell says those are the last players he is going to bring in this season.

Elsewhere, Jamie Lyons has moved to Larkhall Athletic as boss Gingell could not guarantee him a place up front.

Frome Town, Devizes Town and Melksham Town have made seven days’ notice of approach for striker Adam Heath.