DAVE Webb says his Swindon Supermarine side cannot afford to take anything for granted against Barnstaple Town tonight, despite their opponents having lost their last five league fixtures.

The Devon side have struggled for consistent form in their maiden season in Southern League Division One South & West and are fourth from bottom, although they did push Marine close when the two went head-to-head back in August, with Webb’s men edging to a 4-2 success.

Freezing conditions and an uneven surface could play their part this evening given the time of year, so Webb has stressed the importance of remaining resolute in the hope of returning home with a positive result.

“Firstly, we’ve got to go there and be hard to beat,” said Webb, whose team sit one place outside the play-off places in sixth spot.

“We encourage the players to play the game a certain way, and not be afraid to get the ball down and pass it around, but you can’t always do that, especially on tough pitches.

“Sometimes, you just have to make sure it’s not easy for the other side to get in behind you and build from there.

“They’re a good side and we had a good game at our place earlier in the season, so we know that we’re not in for an easy game.

“It doesn’t matter that they’ve struggled for results recently. It could be difficult for us.

“If we can go there with the correct attitude, then we should be able to make it three games without a defeat in the league and then we’d be able to look forward to a nice game at home to Yate the next Saturday.”