DORCHESTER Sports’ boss Ashley James believes his side “have to win” against Wareham Rangers in their Dorset Premier League contest at the Clayson Stadium tomorrow (3pm).

James’ men were beaten 3-1 by arch-rivals Balti Sports last time out – their second defeat to the Weymouth-based side this season following a 2-0 cup loss.

And Sports now have a juicy run of fixtures including Portland Reserves and Bridport Reserves as they look to end their season on a high.

James told Echosport: “We’ve got a few home games coming up – it’s three games with teams in and around us. It’s a big end to the season and hopefully we can start it off with a positive performance.

“Sherborne beat us at home comfortably before Christmas so we won’t take this game lightly. It’s an important game, we have to win. We’ll treat it like Balti last week and hopefully get a positive result.”

With Sports suffering a below-par season, currently in 10th and having made little progress in cup competitions, James spoke of the difficulty in replacing star players Jamie Symes and Dan Peart.

He said: “Towards the end of pre-season our aims changed with two players leaving. We were very hopefully of pushing to do well, but it’s a massive blow to lose those two.

“We brought in four new players (Pat Thomas, Ryan Ross, Phil Hill and Jamie Quinton). They’ve settled in now and we’re getting the best out of them. It’s a building process.”

Sports are boosted by the potential return of long-term injury absentee Cormac Lochrie, while Antony Frost and Hill are available. Jason Read and Quinton miss out.