HIGHWORTH Town manager Jeff Roberts says his side will travel down to Larkhall Athletic with a team that is capable of winning, despite several key members of the squad being ruled out of Saturday’s game.

Roberts reported injuries to Ryan Morgan and Matty Grabe while also noting Ash Edenborough, Leon Morrison and Zak Westlake would be absent from the matchday squad.

The Town chief admitted that while he is chasing a slightly higher finish for his team, he would not be afraid to look to next season already and give some youngsters the chance to experience football at Southern League level.

Roberts says that whichever team he puts out, last week’s 4-0 victory over Bristol Manor Farm has suitably encouraged him that the Worthians can make it back-to-back wins for the first time since mid-January.

Roberts said: “We’ve got quite a few out this week, so that doesn’t help, but we’ll still go down there with a team that’s capable of winning.

“They’re quite a hit and miss side, Larkhall – I know they beat us 2-0 at home and that was more long ball as well.

“But with the starting XI we’ll go with, they’re all confident and playing well.

“Larkhall will be tough, like every game in this league. They’ll be quite direct and it’s about how we deal with their aerial threat.

“They’ve got a flat pitch out there, so if we can get hold of the ball and move it around like we have been doing, then I’m confident of getting a result.”

Larkhall will be Highworth’s final road trip of the season in a year where their away form has not quite matched their points total at the Save on Tyres Stadium.

Roberts believes that, even though this team has accumulated more points on home soil, performances have largely been more complete on their travels, but insists it has been a successful first season in the Southern League.

He said: “I do think we struggle at home sometimes, down to the hill mainly, and I do think we play better away from home.

“Most pitches in the league aren’t as good a surface as ours, but they are flatter, so that gives us a little bit more scope to play football.

“That’s our intention and that’s why we’ve bought the players in that we have – to get the ball down and play.

“At the start of the season, I think we were favourites to be relegated straight away, so we’ve had a good crack at the league this year – if we can get to 50 points, it would be a good season.”