A BLUEFIN Sports Supplementary Cup tie at home to Wantage Town Development is just what manager Gareth Davies requires amid Shrivenham’s injury struggles that saw five players miss last weekend’s Hellenic League Premier Division trip to Windsor.

With eight fixtures scheduled between now and the end of October – it’s unlikely that Davies’ injury concern will conclude any time soon.

But an opportunity perhaps for the Shrivvy boss to rest some of his key players presents itself this weekend as they start their Supplementary Cup campaign at home to Wantage.

The Oxfordshire club have already fallen to defeat against Shrivenham this season, having lost 4-3 in the opening round of the Banbury Litho Floodlit Challenge Cup.

But following Shrivenham’s Bluefin Sports Challenge Cup first-round exit to Moreton Rangers, Davies will no doubt be keen to make amends when hosting Wantage tomorrow.

Davies said: “With the injuries we’ve got, a whole week off after last weekend’s defeat at Winsor in the league wasn’t a bad thing. The boys needed a week off.

“Ryan Stanners was coming back from injury, and we had a further five players out injured, with one away.”

In league fixtures, Davies is still searching for the levels of consistency his side possessed last season that saw them climb from relegation candidates to fifth in the table by the end of the campaign.

Three wins and four defeats place Shrivenham ninth in the table – eight points short of table-topping Westfields.

Regardless of his side’s form in the league’s opening seven games, Davies is adamant performances could have been better in games where Shrivenham have tasted defeat.

Davies said: “There’s still a lot of football to play. This time last year, we were still rock bottom of the table.

“We’re ninth at the moment, and it could be a lot worse.

“It’s been a mixed bag, we just need to find our consistency. But when you look at the table, we are doing OK.

“We’re disappointed because we know we could do better, but that will always be the case with games we’ve lost this season.

“We certainly could’ve done better in games that we have lost this year – but I can’t complain. We’re still in the top half, I can’t complain about that.”

Elsewhere, Royal Wootton Bassett Town are in Challenge Cup action and host Hereford Lads Club.

Jody Bevan’s Fairford Town are also in that competition and they travel to Banbury to tackle Adderbury Park.