BOSS Jason Matthews believes returning playmaker Chris Shephard’s inclusion could spark the Terras’ back to their best at Hungerford Town, but insists all of his squad will need to rise to the occasion.

The former Eastbourne Borough midfielder is in line to take his place back in the squad for tonight’s showdown at Bulpit Lane (7.45pm), against a Crusaders team who are yet to suffer a home league defeat this season.

Ashley Wells will miss the encounter as he begins a three-match ban, meaning full-back Jamie West could line up for the Terras. Player-coach Chris McPhee is likely to remain sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Commenting on the return of Shephard, Matthews, whose side relinquished top spot in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier division with a 1-0 loss to Chippenham Town on Saturday, told Echosport: “We missed his quality over the last few games and I feel that if Shep had played on Saturday we would have won the game.

“We have lacked a little bit of quality in our final ball which Shep gives us in abundance.

“It is what it is though, we have a good squad and we need people to step up to the plate now and man up to the task, I’m sure we have the personnel to do it.

“It is up to us to go up there, put in a performance and put the wrongs right again.”

A win for the Terras could see them regain top spot if results elsewhere go in their favour, but hosts Hungerford have put together a run of form which has seen them emerge as likely play-off candidates.

The Crusaders, 6th in the league at present, are unbeaten in all competitions since late November, and boast an influential threat up front in top-scorer Mark Draycott, who notched a brace in his side’s 2-1 win over Banbury United on Saturday, including the winner in stoppage time.

“We know it will be really tough at Hungerford,” player-manager Matthews added.

“They are unbeaten on their own patch and they will be doing everything they can to keep that intact, but they are similar to us in the fact that people come to Weymouth and raise their game. We need to do that at Hungerford tonight.”

The Terras’ chief also added that he was still hopeful of bringing in new faces to his squad this week.

Terras: Matthews, West, Riley-Lowe, Colwell, Laird, Brooks, Kelly, Copp, Rigg, Yetton, Sills, Reid, Fiddes, Prodomo, Poole, Shephard.