CLIVE Walker has graced the lush turf of Stamford Bridge, Roker Park and Wembley during his distinguished playing career - and he is about to experience the mud heaps of Totton.

According to Stags' boss Ian Robinson, the former Chelsea and Sunderland wing wizard - now player-coach of Molesey - will not be able to believe his eyes when he arrives at Testwood Park tomorrow for an FA Carlsberg Vase second round clash.

"He won't be playing any of his fancy stuff on our surface," Robinson promised. "It's more like a spud patch than a football pitch and I can't believe we've actually been playing on it. We needed aqualungs to get out of the dressing rooms against Moneyfields recently yet, amazingly, the game still went ahead.

"When Clive Walker sees it he'll think it's a training pitch and expect to find our real one round the corner!"

Walker is one of a trio of Molesey players who have tasted FA Trophy success at Wembley with Woking.

The star-studded Surrey outfit also have ex-Kingfield goalkeeper Laurence Batty and defender Lloyd Wye on their books - along with 33-year-old former Watford and Newcastle striker Malcolm Allen.

Managed by ex-Stevenage Borough coach John Harding, Molesey are on the up again after hitting hard times. They lost their Ryman Premier Division status in 1996 after failing ground grading requirements for seating and were relegated again two seasons ago. Currently they sit sixth in Division 2.

Totton are hungry for another taste of Vase success after bravely bowing out in the last 16 at Bedlington Terriers last season.

But a catalogue of injuries, plus the recent departure of brothers Matt and Stuart Hussey, have taken their toll on the stuttering Stags and manager Ian Robinson admits: "There's a missing ingredient from last year. I don't fancy us as much as I did. The character doesn't seem to be there and we're not playing well as a unit."

New defensive signing John Wilson from Andover is ineligible but Totton are confident that goalkeeper Wayne Shaw will be okay after limping out of Tuesday's shock 1-0 Jewson Wessex League defeat by Gosport with a groin strain.

Three of the other four Wessex survivors are also at home with Brockenhurst pitted against Paulton Rovers, currently fourth in the Screwfix Western Premier Division, and Lymington & New Milton entertaining Bridgwater Town, who lie a place below Paulton.

Cowes Sports welcome Sussex outfit Horsham YMCA to the Island, while Alex Pike's 1992 winners Wimborne Town travel to Brislington, who are third to bottom of the Western Premier.