ALAN Knight is taking nothing for granted ahead of tonight’s Dorset Senior Cup semi-final clash with minnows Portland United.

There may be five tiers separating the clubs, and Dorchester may have earned a 5-0 win in a recent friendly between the two teams, but the Magpies’ boss insists the outcome is far from a foregone conclusion.

Looking ahead to this evening’s encounter at Bridport’s St Mary’s Field (7.45pm), Knight said: “We are in it to win it.

“They have nothing to lose and after playing them in a friendly game recently they will have even more reason to want to get at us.

“We will be taking them very seriously. They are a strong outfit and they play a bit of football. If you are not at it and fail to give teams their due respect, you can end up in trouble.”

The Magpies, who lifted the trophy last April, will themselves be keen to get back on track after suffering a 6-3 defeat at the hands of Havant & Waterlooville on Saturday.

But they will be without the services of Exeter City loanee Tom Nichols, and potentially Nick Crittenden (ankle) and Jamie Gleeson (knee).

Knight added: “One or two lads will possibly be rested after Saturday’s game because it was tough for the 10 that were left on the pitch.

“Whatever anyone thinks of the final scoreline, the boys put in a hell of a shift and no one ducked out of giving 110 per cent, so we will have to see how they are.

“Tom won’t be playing as he’s got a reserve game at Exeter and Nick got a bang on his ankle towards the end, so we will try and leave him out if possible.

“Glees has an ongoing problem with his knee, which we have to manage, and we may have to give him a rest as a precaution.

“We will though put out as strong a side as possible.”

Also absent for the county town side is Aldershot teenager Max Worsfold (ankle).

Knight had hoped to see the midfielder back in action in a fortnight’s time, but yesterday revealed: “I have spoken to their physio Nic Brink and he has put a four-week timescale on it – but I’m hoping for three.”

The Blues’ resources will be further exhausted with as many as seven players expected to miss out tonight.

Lewis Whyton is suspended, Grant Chance, Jimmy Dailey, Adam Linaker and Callum Ross-Jennins are all injured while Ben Skelton and Alex Grimason are both ineligible.

Boss Stuart Heath said: “The timing of the game is not the best when you’ve got seven out but we go there with nothing to lose.

“We will try and give a good account of ourselves. It’s good for the club to be in a Senior Cup semi-final and we have a responsibility to play well for the club and give as much as we can.

“It would have been nice going into the game with a full side but we would still be the underdogs.

“There is no pressure on us so we will go there and enjoy it. If we play to our potential we will be right in there.”