TAUNTON Town switch their attention from the league to the FA Trophy this Saturday (ko 3pm), but they face a familiar opponent in Wimborne Town.

The Peacocks are well-versed in the trip to Cuthbury, having battled the Magpies in the Southern League over the past few seasons, and they won 3-0 there back in August thanks to goals from Andrew Neal (2) and Matt Wright.

Saturday’s first qualifying round tie offers £2,450 in prize money to the winning side (the losers get £800), and Taunton head of football Rob Dray is eager for his side to make good progress in the competition.

“The money is important for us,” he said.

“We’re out of the FA Cup, but we want a cup run this season.

"We want to win it so we'll go as strong as we can.

"It's a chance for the club and it's always a nice diversion from the league.

“It’s a tough draw for us, as Wimborne will be awkward – they had a good win [2-1 over Dorchester Town] on Tuesday night.

“We’ve got to apply ourselves in order to get the result.”

There has been a significant change at Wimborne since the clubs last met, the Magpies replacing Matty Holmes (manager since 2016) with his brother Danny Holmes.

Dray added: “There’s not a huge difference [in how they play now].

“Danny will have made his mark, but they share the same philosophy, and we know it will be tough.”

Opposition in focus

TAUNTON Town’s next opponents, Wimborne Town, go into this Saturday’s match having put a little more distance between themselves and the Premier South dropzone.

Four straight league defeats (against Merthyr Town (3-1), Tiverton Town (3-0), Farnborough (2-1) and Chesham United (1-0)) had left them in the thick of the relegation battle, just ahead of Dorchester Town, their opponents on Tuesday night.

Hosts Wimborne edged the match 2-1, thanks to second-half goals from Sam Bayston and Tony-James Lee, but still there are only three points between them and third-from-bottom Dorchester in a congested lower half of the table.

Things had looked much rosier for the Magpies in September, when – following a 3-0 home loss against a resurgent Taunton – they beat Walton Casuals 4-1, Beaconsfield Town 4-0 and Weston-super-Mare 2-1, while also drawing 2-2 at home to high-flying Truro City.

Those results followed Matty Holmes moving to a new role as the club’s community and academy director of football, with his brother Danny Holmes taking up the managerial hotseat.

Having lost last season’s top scorer Toby Holmes to Salisbury (he has seven league goals for the Whites), as well as goalkeeper Gerard Benfield to Steve Claridge's side, the Magpies have relied on Lee (five league goals) and winger Luke Burbidge (three) this term.

Salisbury also signed goalkeeper Gerard Benfield from Wimborne over the summer; his replacement between the posts is highly-rated youngster Cameron Plain, who arrived on a work experience loan from Premier League side AFC Bournemouth.

Elsewhere this weekend

Wellington - who began life under new boss Tim Legg with a 1-1 draw at home to Cadbury Heath last weekend - host Street in the Toolstation Western League Premier Division on Saturday.

The visitors arrive off the back of a thumping 9-2 win over Bridport in midweek.

In the first division, Bishops Lydeard are at home to Radstock Town.

Staplegrove travel to Winscombe in Division 1 of the Uhlsport County League Premier Division.