WINCHESTER City boss Ian Saunders will take nothing for granted when he leads his eight-placed team to basement boys Bridgwater Town on Saturday.

The Somerset strugglers have amassed a mere ten points all season, but are banking on new manager Phil Hucker to stop them sinking into Southern One South & West oblivion.

The Robins had been without a boss since the turn of the year when Craig Laird left to join Dorchester Town.

Hucker, a UEFA B qualified coach who recently had a spell as chief scout at Weston-super-Mare, has been tasked with restoring confidence at Fairfax Park and Saunders is mindful of the dangers of ‘new manager syndrome.’

“I‘m sure from the outside people will think this is a routine win for us because they’re bottom,” he said.

“But they’ve got a new manager and they’ve signed some new players, so there are lots of factors that could come into play.

“We’ll travel with a near full squad.

“Matt Evans has got a suspension carried over from the postponed game (against Bideford) last week and we’ll take the opportunity to rest Taz Roberts. Taz has been playing through the pain barrier with a back injury and could do with a week’s more rest.

“Fans will be pleased to hear that young (full-back) Joe Hayward is recovering well for his broken leg. He came in for treatment and a recovery session with our therapist and is looking in good shape for a timely return.”

Midfielder Matt Benham, meanwhile, has hooked up with City’s South & West rivals Paulton Rovers.

The ex-Saints and Brighton & Hove Albion academy midfielder has only just recovered from long-term injury and is now studying at Bath University.

“We managed to get Matt in the squad when he started to regain a bit of fitness, but he’s not played for me at all other than a couple of years ago when I was at Petersfield and we got him from Gosport,” said Saunders.

“We’re on the cusp of the possibility of climbing a bit higher than eighth, so there’s still lots to play for, and we can’t really take the chance of getting people fit by giving them games.

“But Matt’s a good footballer and he’s one I’d never say ‘no’ to further down the line. But the timing of him getting fit and going to university was not good for us logistically.”

*PHIL Hucker’s first match in charge of Bridgwater Town ended in chaos after a reported mass brawl caused their match with Larkhall Athletic to be abandoned five minutes before full-time on Tuesday night..

The Evo-Stik league website listed the match as abandoned due to fog, but claims later emerged that it was trouble between the two sets of players that led to the referee calling an early end to proceedings.

Town manager Hucker confirmed to The Echo's sister paper, the Bridgwater Mercury, that an internal investigation is taking place into the matter and the club would proceed once that had been concluded.

The Robins were trailing 4-0 going in to the closing stages of the Southern One South & West fixture when a Bridgwater player is understood to have been sent off following a clash with Larkhall’s Geraint Bater, son of visiting manager Phil, in the penalty area.

This allegedly led to players from both sides joining in the scrap, and another home player saw red as tempers boiled over at Fairfax Park.

It is believed Bater later needed hospital treatment for facial injuries sustained as a result of the incident, while further angry scenes were reportedly sparked near the dugout as the Larkhall man left the field.

The referee is then understood to have abandoned the game due to the violence.

Bridgwater are yet to release a club statement on the matter, due to the investigation taking place, while the Evo-Stik Southern League are also yet to comment as they wait on the referee's report.