Forbes blow for Magpies

9:34am Tuesday 12th August 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

IVAN Forbes has been ruled out of tonight's Blue Square South clash with Basingstoke Town (7.45pm) - the Magpies' first home fixture of the new season.

The Portuguese forward was stretchered off during Saturday's 1-0 win at Braintree Town and will not be fit in time to face the 'Stoke at the Jewson Stadium.

Manager Shaun Brooks said: "We are getting him checked out and we won't know any more until he's seen the specialist. He got a whack on his knee and was stretchered off. However, he is definitely out of the Basingstoke game."

Forbes was replaced by Leon Osei on Saturday, and he went on to set up Nick Crittenden for the winning goal. But Brooks was giving nothing away in terms of who will take Forbes' place in tonight's line-up.

Mark Jermyn and Jamie Gleeson remain sidelined with knee injuries as Dorchester aim to record back-to-back wins for the first time in the league since last September.

Of tonight's opponents, who drew 1-1 at home to Hampton & Richmond Borough in their opening day fixture, Brooks added: "They've had quite a change around over the summer with Frank Gray coming in as manager, and he's got a wealth of experience.

"Because of the changes they've made it's hard to know what you'll come across but we're looking forward to building on Saturday's result and looking to get another three points."

The Magpies endured a difficult time at the Jewson Stadium last season with just five league wins out of 21 home games - including a 1-0 victory over Basingstoke last March.

Brooks is hopeful that record will be improved on this time around. He said: "Our players have performed well at home in pre-season and we're hoping the crowd can get behind us. I don't think it matters what stadium you play in, good players will win more games for you.

"We've got to do our part. If I was a fan I don't think I would have paid to watch many games last year but this season is completely different.

"Dorchester is a great place to come to and the pitch will allow us to get the ball down and play, it's our responsibility to go out and try to win the game.

"You start to see a true reflection of the league after ten games or so, and we need to approach each game in the right manner, as it will be a massive boost if we can get points on the board early.

"I'd much rather we get ourselves into a good position so that we can push on, rather than see us trying to play catch up."