Brislington Reserves are braced for an arduous run-in, as they try to banish the threat of relegation.

The Ironmould Lane outfit have played only 14 Premier Division games, leaving 20 fixtures to fulfil before the scheduled finish on May 4.

With a Somerset Senior Cup semi-final at home to Westlands to fit in next Saturday, manager Dave Payne has his work cut out.

Five straight defeats have seen Bris tumble to a mid-table berth, only three points adrift of the drop zone, heading into tomorrow's trip to Castle Cary. Player-coach Jeff Hazell is worried the gruelling schedule will take its toll.

"First-team call-ups and lack of availability for all the midweek games we're about to face means our squad will be stretched to the limit," he said.

"We'll just have to call up more youngsters because the league aren't likely to extend the season. It's a tough time and we're not out of the woods."

Shirehampton will hand an opportunity to teenage defender Gerrard Robinson in their crucial home clash with Glastonbury, as they strive to close the five-point deficit separating them from top spot.

"Gerrard's strong and aggressive and he's ready for a chance," said boss Mickey Tanner.

Mangotsfield Reserves, beaten 2-1 by Shire at the weekend, test their mettle again at home to another high-flying side in Bridgwater Reserves.

Unchanged Stockwood Green Robinsons, fresh from last Saturday's 6-1 thrashing of Keynsham, aim to maintain their slender goal-difference advantage at the First Division summit when they travel to Portishead.

Fry Club manager Malcolm Beck, disappointed to lose striker James Laver to Hanham Athletic, is backing his team to win at Worle tomorrow.

"We were very unlucky to lose (2-1) against Clevedon last Saturday," said Beck, who drafts Chris Whittington into his squad in the absence of right-back Liam Osborne.