WHEN Craig Davis came off the bench against Wimborne Town on Monday, it marked his 850th appearance at Southern League level and above.

But if Winchester City’s player-boss does not get to make it 851 in the FA Cup first qualifying round at Paulton Rovers on Saturday, it will be absolutely fine by him.

“I’m happy to slot in when needed, but if I don't make another appearance that's OK because it means they don’t need me,” said the 35-year-old.

“It doesn’t bother me if I’m not playing, I’m loving the management and coaching side of things. If I’m needed, I’m needed; if I’m not, I’m not.

“We’ve got a very small squad and every single player has featured so far in some capacity and done something positive for us to win games.

“I’ve played bits and pieces. Tactically we’ve changed things, closed things out and done it well.”

Davis, who has crammed 180 goals into his non-League career, joined Bashley after being released by Cardiff City, aged 20.

The box-to-box midfielder made 280 appearances for the Foresters, followed by 130 for Salisbury City and 306 for Fleet Town, with the likes of Andover, AFC Totton and Gosport Borough squeezed in between.

He leads Winchester to Evo-Stik South West rivals Paulton this weekend with his new-look side sitting a healthy fourth in the table, five points better off than their 16th-placed hosts.

Asked if he minded playing a direct league rival in the Cup, Davis said: “This draw falls into the ‘could have been better, could have been worse’ category.

“But our away record is outstanding. We’ve won three out of three and scored plenty in the process.

“If we can progress in the Cup, that would be fantastic. It’s good to go there sitting nicely in the league. We can just go and enjoy the big occasion.”

Full-back Danny King is away on a work course and misses the Paulton game and it’s highly unlikely that striker Oli Bailey will feature as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained in City's 4-0 FA Cup win at Bracknell.

“Oli’s back running again, but it’s a balancing act between desperately wanting him back and rushing him back,” said Davis. “We won’t rush him, but hopefully he’s not far away now.”

New signing Riccardo Andrady, a wide player formerly on the books of Woking and Didcot Town (loan), is eligible to play in the Cup.