The Big Match Preview- Sholing FC vs Gloucester City with boss Mike Cook

Gloucester City will be hoping to get back to winning ways and extend their unbeaten run to 11 games as they go to Hampshire to face Sholing FC.

The Tigers come into this match aiming to return to the top if results go their way having slipped to third place on goal difference after the draw at home to Basingstoke last Saturday.

They go away to Sholing who are winless in their last five league games, including a 5-1 hammering at home against Dorchester Town and a 4-0 defeat away to Chertsey Town.

The Boatmen currently are floating in the middle of the table with 18 points from their 14 fixtures so far, six points clear of the relegation zone, while still only being four points off the playoff spots.

Despite a sense of frustration after the draw against Basingstoke, City boss Mike Cook is hoping that they can channel that into three points and pinpointed the players who will be crucial to ensuring that happens.

"We're just lacking that finish at the moment.

"We're going to have to bear with the forwards that we've got, and you're looking at people like Kieran Phillips, he has to turn up at the party and make sure he starts contributing with goals.

"His link up play and his general work ethic is okay for somebody that's been out injured with two hamstrings. We need a little bit more from Brandon (Brandon Smalley) when we're out of possession.

"And then, we've got Ed (Ed Williams), who's going to be suspended so it's up to us whether we push Harry Emmett up a little bit higher as well."

City will have to check over their squad ahead of Saturday's fixtures with a few injury concerns and a suspension to Ed Williams that will force the boss to tinker around with his squad of 16.

"We've got a couple of concerns about Rex (Jamie Reckford). He came off at the very death of the game on Saturday. He's still got a bit of a foot injury. He's gone and got it X-Rayed and they don't see any fracture in there at the moment. We're hopeful for Saturday for him.

"Ty's (Tyrone Duffus) got a bit of a sore knee, but he should be okay. Ed Williams, will be out suspended because of what he said to the referee after the game at Taunton. He'll be out for a couple of games.

We will be giving a couple more opportunities to other people.

"Potentially, we could be looking at Dan Ball coming in and giving him a chance for a couple of games as well."

City were further set back after the departure of King Baidoo on Monday after all parties agreed it was the right move, and the Tigers lack of goals has been a problem and the main reason they sit third ahead of the weekends fixtures.

They've scored six less than AFC Totton and an incredible 16 less than table toppers Merthyr, in addition to having conceded more goals than both sides.

"We've been trying to bring in a forward.

"We've got to think of a couple of things like not getting the club in financial trouble we don't want to do that, some of the lads we've looked at on reflection we've decided not to go for and there's been a couple that we've gone for and the money has been crazy, having to pay an extorionate fee, we are not in that position to do that at the moment.

We've got to keep our heads down, if it clicks for those forwards with Kieran, Jaydn and Brandon then we will be alright.

"I agree with the fans that we need to bolster up with a forward, i'd like to bring in pace and with Kinger (King Baidoo) going out, getting a bit of pace is always lovely on the bench so we are looking but it has to be right for the club."

One player who will be returning to the club is Harry Burns, who comes back after just a week at Bishops Cleeve and will be hoping to make his mark and impress the boss having signed a dual deal with Gloucester and Faiford.

"We are starting to call him 'Boomerang Burns' because he keeps coming back so we've given him a bit of banter and he's give us a bit of banter.

He will still be a duel signing with Fairford so we will be looking to give him games with Fairford and coming in with us.

His gripe was that he wasn't playing enough minutes before Hanksy (Joe Hanks), Pinch (Harry Pinchard) when he's fit, Grubby (Dayle Grubb) and Daws (Kevin Dawson and it's a tough one to do, he's going to have to maybe play other positions.

We need to keep him happy, because kids like him, he's 25 now and he wants to be playing and I understand that but if I was in his shoes I would have been a little more patient, wanting to play for the best club in the region and hopefully win something at the end of the season.

AFC Totton play away on Friday night as they travel to lower mid table side Gosport Borough, while Merthyr Town host Havant and Waterloovile on the Saturday at the same time as the Tigers play.

Make sure you get your tickets to back the boys and support them down in Hampshire as we look to wrestle back that top spot in the table!