WINCHESTER City manager Craig Davis insists his players mustn’t dwell on last Friday's heart-breaking finale against Salisbury.

The Citizens went 3-0 and 4-3 up before being floored by two late blows in a cruel 5-4 league defeat at the hands of Steve Claridge’s Whites.

It wasn’t the first time in recent weeks that late goals had cost them Evo-Stik South West points, but Davis wants his ninth-placed side to push that to the back of their minds when they face Cinderford Town in Gloucestershire on Saturday.

“We’ve had the misfortune of conceding late in three of our last four games, but we must try not to let it affect us,” said Davis. “Earlier in the season, we were the ones scoring late on and these things tend to go in cycles.

“You can analyse it to death - is it down to fitness or being mentally weak? - but it’s football, it happens. We’ve got to try and avoid it happening again and, more importantly, not let it affect us.

“I was half proud of our performance against Salisbury, but devastated with the result, and I’d like to think it hurt our players too.

“But we’ve trained really well this week and it’s time to put that to bed now and pick up some positive results.”

Winger Simba Mlambo (shoulder) is City’s only injury worry.

The club have, however, parted company with attacking midfielder Ben ‘Chalky’ White who had struggled to break into the team after following Davis down from Fleet Town.

“I’ve been with Chalky a long time and he’s an excellent player and a good lad, but it hasn’t quite worked out for him,” said Davis.

“Positionally, he’s not been afforded the same luxury here as we could give him at Fleet and we agreed it was the right thing for him (to move on). He’s got several clubs interested in him.”

City’s director of football Dave Malone, who knew White as a youngster at Eastleigh, said: “Chalky needs to find regular first-team football in order to reproduce his best form.

“He leaves on good terms with the door left ajar for a possible return sometime in the future.”