BRIDPORT FC go into the weekend boasting a much fuller and fresher squad following a weekend off last week.

The match against Gillingham Town was postponed just 90 minutes before kick-off due to a frozen St Mary’s Field pitch, but despite the late call, manager Adam Fricker was grateful for the decision.

He said: “I was frustrated because we’d arrived for the game and they decided to call it off quite late. But I can understand why the referee did so, there was an area of the pitch that was slightly frozen.

“Both sides were happy to play so it was disappointing that we couldn’t get a game in but it was good to give some of the lads, like Mark Salter, another week to get over his injury.”

Saturday sees a tricky test as Bridport travel to Bristol-based Brislington, in a game which Fricker insists will be tough.

“We haven’t played Brislington so far this season but Bristol teams are always tough sides to play against so it’ll be a challenge for us.

He said: “Bristol sides are always big, strong and physical so we need to be up to that challenge. But they’re also very good going forward, they have some experienced strikers in their team so we just need to be at it from the start.

“They’re only one place ahead of us in the league so it’ll be a challenge but we’ll go up there with a nearly full-strength squad.”

Fricker’s side are currently on a four-match losing streak, but with those fixtures coming against the league’s trickiest teams, the Bridport boss says that his squad’s morale remains high.

He said: “We’re always confident. The games we have lost we have done very well in, but we’ve just fallen short. We try to give them as much confidence as possible and from our side the performances have been good and we’re creating chances, we just need that little bit of luck to get things back on track.”

Fricker also confirmed that Ryan Hayter is doubtful for the weekend, while Lewis Rutter, Dan Peach and Mark Salter are all likely to return for Bridport.