WEYMOUTH v POOLE

CHAIRMAN John Ryan has heaped praised on the Seasiders’ efforts this season, even if their ranks are again depleted going into their clash with league leaders Poole at Redlands tomorrow (1pm).

Dean Janaway, Jim Ryall, Harry Tucker and David Trotter are all unavailable, but all-rounder Simon Browne should be fit to play after he was rested last week following a knee injury.

Ryan, who is set to take his place in the squad, believes that regardless of the XI Weymouth field in their season run in, they will give it everything they have to cause an upset against some of the Premier One big guns.

The chairman told Echosport: “People tend to forget that we were technically relegated last year on points and we should have gone down.

“It was only because Winton pulled out that we stayed up.

“We weren’t good enough last year and we have improved dramatically since then.

“It’s going to be very difficult for us to catch Poole and we have some unavailability this week, you just can’t help it at this level.

“Poole are going great guns and they have opened up a bit of a lead at the top now but nothing will stop us giving 100 per cent in these last few games.

“We will do our best to finish as high as possible.”

Weymouth are currently fourth in the Dorset league’s top tier at present having faced a five-point deduction last week for fielding an ineligible player.

And even if winning the title now looks unrealistic, Ryan is still keen to make sure the Seasiders still have a say in the overall outcome of the race for the championship.

He added: “The players that come in during the run in won’t let us down, they will gain from the experience and it will help us going into next year.

“If by chance we upset the apple cart and go out and beat Poole that would be great.”

The club’s second team are also in action tomorrow (1.30pm) when they host Stalbridge Seconds in their penultimate game in County Division Two.

Seasiders: Womble, Hutchens, Walton, Browne, Trevett, Ryan, Jones, Puckett, Lawes, Rathnayake, Sers