AFC TOTTON are gearing up to face two of the sides expected to push for Evo-Stik South West promotion over the next five days.

The Stags open their Total Branding Community Stadium doors to Bideford AFC on Saturday (3pm) ahead of a tough Tuesday evening trip to sixth-placed Swindon Supermarine.

Bideford are two places and one point adrift of Totton in ninth, but their position is misleading. The Robins have been busy in the FA Cup, reaching the third qualifying round for the first time in 15 years before bowing out 4-1 at Haringey Borough.

“They’re in a false position at the minute,” said Totton boss Louis Langdown. “They've had a Cup run and have played fewer games than anyone else.

“They’re a good side at this level, but I expect us to be quite good against them. It’s not the good sides that bother me.

“It’s losing to the likes of Slimbridge and Cinderford that we’ll look back on at the end of the season and think we should have got something. We have to beat the teams towards the bottom.

“We let ourselves down losing 1-0 at Cinderford last week when we had a great opportunity to get into the play-off places.”

Langdown’s hope is that Totton’s young squad will learn from that defeat – just as they learned after bowing out of the Hampshire Senior Cup on penalties at Romsey.

“After losing to Romsey we went on another run and, hopefully, Cinderford will be another learning curve,” he said.

“If we can improve on it, then happy days, because it will put us where we need to be.”

Already without injured duo Connor York and Jack Masterton, Totton lost Aldershot Town loan defender Jack Barker to a hamstring injury last weekend.

It’s not ideal, but Langdown is likely to resist signing reinforcements.

“We’ve got people like Alfy Whittingham who need a game, so bringing in someone else would upset the applecart,” he reasoned.

“We’ll probably move people around rather than move more players in.

“We’re utilising people and giving them a chance to play - not necessarily where they want to play, but where they have to.’’