HIGHWORTH Town manager Jeff Roberts is hoping that Salisbury's push for promotion in the Southern League will help distract them from the job at hand tonight.

Hellenic League side Highworth and Salisbury, who are battling to secure a place in the Southern League Division One South and West play-offs, lock horns in the semi-finals of the Wiltshire Senior Cup at Melksham Town’s Oakfields ground.

And with Steve Claridge’s men set to entertain title-chasing Hereford on Saturday, Worthians chief Roberts is hopeful that the Whites will have their minds elsewhere.

“It’s going to be an awkward game. We don’t know what we will come up against, they might want to rest a few players because I know they have Hereford at the weekend,” said Roberts.

“We will go out there and take the game to them, we won’t just try to defend.

“I think we have enough quality in our side to compete.

“Obviously Salisbury are very high up. They have a big wage budget, which means they have a big squad that they can rotate a little bit.”

With Roberts hoping that Claridge tinkers with the side that lost 2-0 at fellow promotion rivals Tiverton Town at the weekend, the Elms boss expects to make a few changes himself.

Striker Ashley Edenborough was back in the Worthians squad for the 3-0 Premier Division win over Henley Town on Saturday after a brief stint with Salisbury’s Southern League rivals Evesham United.

But after sitting on the bench last time out, he is expected to return to the starting XI.

“We will take the strongest side we can, we didn’t pick up any knocks at the weekend. Ash Edenborough will come back in,” added Roberts.

“Him and Aysa (Corrick) at the top have nearly 60 goals (between them). Keiron Gleed is starting to click again and scores goals.

“He’s banged in 15 or 16 as a left-sided player.

“As long as we go there and take the game to them, there is no pressure on us at all.

“The pressure is on them to win the game. I think if we turn up, we are more than capable of giving them a game.”

The winners of tonight’s match will meet Swindon Supermarine in the final after they beat Toolstation League First Division side Calne Town 4-0 in the other semi-final earlier this month.

  • HELLENIC League Division One West title chasers Fairford Town, fresh from their 11-0 thrashing of Woodstock Town on Saturday, turn their attentions to the Supplementary Cup this evening when they host Division Two East side Oxford City Development.

Meanwhile, New College were due to be action last night when they took on Woodstock in Division One West.