Bishop’s Stortford v Gravesend & N

GRAVESEND & Northfleet manager Liam Daish has promised that his players will re-group and make a positive response when they contest Saturday's FA Trophy quarter-final at Bishop’s Stortford.

The biggest match of Fleet’s season arrives on the back of Tuesday’s 3-0 home humbling by Halifax, who inflicted a first defeat on Daish’s managerial reign.

"Hopefully, that defeat will not affect us," said Daish. "I have no worries that we’ll re-group and that the players will react in the right way. We’ll be up for Saturday, no problem."

Daish must do without newcomer Jean-Michel Sigere, Nathan Bunce and goalkeeper James Pullen, who are all cup-tied. But Roy Essandoh and Manny Omoyinmi are expected to report fit after injury, though Graham Porter is out of the reckoning.

Central defender Paul McCarthy and skipper Steve McKimm, who stayed on the bench against Halifax, are likely to return.

"It will be a hard game but I’m convinced that I’ve got the players who will react in the right way to Tuesday’s defeat," Daish added. "I think we’ve got enough in our squad to progress in the competition."

Should Saturday’s tie finish as a draw, the replay will be at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday, which would mean the postponement of the Fleet’s Conference game at Woking.

Gravesend (from): Wilkerson, Protheroe, Skinner, McCarthy, Saunders, Gledhill, Drury, Surey, McKimm, Lovell, Jackson, Omoyinmi, Essandoh, Pinnock, Moore.