Losing to Wells was a wake-up call for us, says Cadbury Heath manager Black

ANDY Black will challenge his shellshocked Cadbury Heath players to bounce back from unexpected adversity before sending them out to face Premier League rivals Willand United at the Recreation Ground tomorrow.

In a rich vein of form during the early part of the Toolstation League season, Heath came down to earth with a bump when suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to lowly Wells in midweek.

But manager Black is in no mood to make excuses and is demanding a positive response this weekend.

He said: "Losing was a bit of a wake-up call for us. We've had a great time this season and been on a good run, but we looked a bit flat the other night.

"They say the test of a good side is how they respond to defeat and we have to bounce back against Willand."

Heath will be strengthened by the return of goalkeeper Simon Crawford and forward Mark Reynolds, while centre-back Rob Scott is expected to recover from injury in time to play.

Hallen manager Paul Owen admits he is not sure what to expect from his inconsistent side at Odd Down tomorrow.

Beaten 6-0 in the FA Vase by Moneyfields recently, Hallen demonstrated their potential when thrashing Cirencester 5-0 and Welton 6-1 in cup competitions.

Owen said: "We are up and down at the moment and I don't know what to expect from one game to the next.

"We are suffering from players not being available and I'm having to make three or four changes every week. There is no continuity."

Talismanic centre forward Ashley Bennett serves a suspension after receiving five yellow cards, but new signing Lewis Morgan goes straight into the squad at Odd Down after completing his move from Cribbs Friends Life.

It may still be October, but Bristol Manor Farm face a proverbial six-pointer when they take on fellow strugglers Barnstaple.

Manager John Black admitted: "It is an important game and one we cannot afford to lose.

"I've been quite encouraged by our recent performances and we have to build on those this weekend."

Brislington boss Jeff Meacham will warn his table-topping players to guard against complacency before sending them out to face Larkhall Athletic.

He said: "Larkhall are a dangerous side and they showed how good they can be when beating Buckland the other week."

Meacham makes two enforced changes. Reserve-team keeper George Hale stands in for Chris Humphries, while centre-back Jason Hughes also misses out. Both are banned. Nikel Plummer is added to the squad.

Longwell Green Sports surrendered their 11-game unbeaten run when losing 3-1 to Bishop Sutton in midweek and will attempt to bounce back at Gillingham.

General manager John Gibbs said: "Games are coming thick and fast and we will just have to try to build another unbeaten run."

Centre-back and captain Mark Summers returns after injury, while midfielder Matt Tilley is available after missing Tuesday's trip to Sutton.

Winterbourne United will attempt to put their league campaign back on track when they host Bishop Sutton.

United spokesman Kevin Evans said: "We have shown we can compete in this league, but we've lost our last two games and need to get back to our early-season form."

Jack Pitcher returns to bolster Winterbourne's attack.

Victory could propel Sutton into the top four for the first time this season, while third-placed Bitton will seek to reel in leaders Brislington and Cadbury Heath by beating Street at the Recreation Ground.

Bitton boss John Lester admitted: "Second place is the incentive for us, but we're taking nothing for granted. We're in a good position but, like just about every other team, we're looking to be consistent."

In the First Division, table-topping Hengrove Athletic are there to be shot at according to manager Jamie Hillman.

Hengrove extended their lead at the top by beating nearest rivals Shepton Mallet last time out and are now the team every other side wants to beat.

Hillman looked ahead to tomorrow's home clash with Almondsbury UWE and said: "We are facing a different type of pressure now we are top. People will look at the league table, see where we are and treat us as a bit of a scalp in future.

"It is something we have spoken about as a group and we are going to have to deal with it."

Oldland Abbotonians boss Paul Britton will urge his players to pick up where they left off when they travel to Westbury tomorrow.

Beaten in their previous two outings, Oldland bounced back with an impressive 5-0 Les Phillips Cup triumph against Radstock in midweek and Britton is calling for more of the same.

He said: "We needed reminding that you have to earn the right to win games in this league and we were back to our best in the cup."

Portishead put their unbeaten home record on the line when they host promotion hopefuls Shepton Mallet.

Joint manager Dave Pettit's options will be increased by the return on students George Parsons and Sam Truman, who study at Swansea and Cardiff universities respectively.

Keynsham will attempt to bounce back from a 3-1 midweek defeat to Roman Glass St George when they take on Bradford at the Crown Field.

Manager Steve Cains has ordered a return to basics and said: "We need to rediscover the belief we had a few weeks ago and cut out the individual errors that have led us to concede too many cheap goals."

Roman Glass travel to Corsham hoping to continue their recent run of improved form.

A winning three-match sequence owes much to the goal-scoring exploits of Karim Rendall, who has now bagged six in a little over three hours of football.