SIMON Mitchem has highlighted the weight Dorchester’s next three games hold to their season as a whole, but insists they will not be looking beyond tomorrow’s trip to Swanage (1pm).

After facing the Swans this weekend the county town outfit host Stalbridge and then go in search of a Ridgeway double against Weymouth at Redlands.

Swanage, Stalbridge, Dorchester and Weymouth currently occupy the bottom four places in the Dorset Premier League so picking up points in those fixtures is going to be crucial in the quest to avoid relegation.

A defeat to Martinstown last Saturday frustrated Dorchester skipper Mitchem, whose men had played superbly to beat Parley a week earlier.

Mitchem was without several key players at Martinstown but he does have three – Dan Belt, Rob Waite and Pete Phillips – returning for tomorrow’s contest at Days Park.

Pete Horne, Joe Power and Matt Porter are the members of the squad to miss out.

“We’ve got Swanage, Stalbridge and Weymouth coming up and those are three games that I’d like to think that, if we turn up and play well, we’ve got a good chance of winning.

“But we’ve got to learn from the mistakes we made last week and go out and play as we know we can.

“It’s a very important few weeks coming up for us in the context of the season as a whole.

“But we’re not looking too far ahead and we’ve just got to take every game as it comes, starting with Swanage this weekend.”

Swanage will be the first side Dorchester have played twice when they meet tomorrow.

Their opponents got the better of them in a rain-affected match on the opening weekend of the season.

Mitchem added: “We had a very under-strength team out for that game and knew it was going to be tough.

“They batted well against us last time but if we play like we know we can then we have got a good chance of beating them at their place.

“We just need to be positive and play attacking cricket when we have to.”

He continued: “Last week was frustrating because we let ourselves down in the batting department.

“Even though we didn’t have our strongest side out I still felt it was a game we could have won.”

Meanwhile, in County Division Three, Dorchester Seconds entertain Poole Town Thirds.

Dorchester: Fitzgerald, Mitchem (c), Belt, Evans, Phillips, Waite, Morris, Roe, Dunham, Foot, Blair.

First XI ball sponsor: SGM Hair, Dorchester