BRIDPORT manager Adam Fricker hopes to avoid a feisty clash with Clevedon Town in their re-arranged Les Phillips Cup first round tie tonight (7.45pm).

At 0-0, after playing 85 minutes of the initial meeting, Clevedon’s Morgan Williams suffered a broken leg in an innocuous tackle with Bridport’s Braeden Symes and has since had surgery on the horrific injury.

So innocent was the tackle, the referee did not blow for a foul

and Fricker feels the rematch will avoid any undertones of revenge for Williams’ plight.

Asked whether he expects the Seasiders to come after his team, Fricker told Echosport: “I hope not, but you never know.

“There was absolutely nothing in the tackle, so from our side of things I wouldn’t expect it. I’d be surprised if their manager wasn’t stood in their changing rooms saying we owed them one.

“We’ll just go out and play the football that we know we can

play.

“We’ll get our heads down and for us the only thing to do is get the job done.”

Bridport picked up injuries to striker Sam Clark and defender James Regan during the 3-2 victory over Hallen on Saturday, but left-back Andy Martin will

return after serving a three-game ban.

Fricker said: “It’s going to be a difficult game in the fact that we’re going to be missing some

bodies.

n continued on page 36

Andy will be back – that will be a big plus for us.

“On the downside, we lost Sam early in the first half to a hamstring injury and lost James in the second. We’re waiting on the news but his ankle is very swollen and very bruised.

“It was a late tackle where he went down the line, got there before the lad. We’re hoping it’s not too serious. We’re going to have to take stock and see where we go.

“I think the biggest thing from our perspective is that we need to go out there and show our maturity.

“They’re going to be driven on by the fact that one of their lads sustained a serious injury and that’s going to give them that extra little bit of incentive.

“We just need to be professional, we need to do the right things, keep our control. We dominated the game on Wednesday before the injury. It was one of those where we didn’t take our chances.

“If we go up there and play exactly the way we did on Wednesday we won’t be far away.”

Lee Sweet is suspended, while the Bees will check on Chris McGrath (hamstring) and Louis Rutter (knee) before the contest. Richard Hebditch (knee) remains out.