DORKING WANDERERS are facing a testing period over the next week, according to boss Marc White.
Wanderers lost for the first time this season on Tuesday night as they bowed out of the FA Cup at the preliminary round stage following a 1-0 defeat in a replay against Hassocks.
They have a chance to make up for that when St Francis Rangers visit Westhumble Playing Fields in the FA Vase on Saturday, before facing Lingfield in the John O'Hara League Cup next Wednesday. But White will be without strikers Tom Tolfrey and Peter Rapson, who have scored nine goals between them so far this season.
And the Wanderers boss admits his side face a difficult period, with defender Chris Davidson and midfielder Joel Bata both picking up hamstring injuries in Wanderers' first defeat of the season.
"It is always the way that when you have one injury, you then get another and both Chris [Davidson] and Joel [Bata] will be out this weekend.
"It isn't helped with Tom [Tolfrey] and Peter [Rapson] both being away as well and the team we put out on Saturday will have a few changes from the one that played here [at Hassocks]."
White added that he was disappointed to see his side exit the FA Cup in their debut season in the competition, particularly having missed an opportunity to win the tie at home, with ten-man Wanderers drawing 0-0 with Hassocks on Saturday following the dismissal of Jerome Beckles.
But White admitted that his side did not make the most of their opportunities.
He said: "We weren't smart enough and we didn't work hard enough off the ball. It was disappointing to lose, particularly as we had a few good chances, but we needed to work harder."
White refused to be too downbeat, though, adding that his side have still enjoyed a good start, sitting fifth in the Sussex County League Division One after four games, having scored 16 goals in their first five games in all competitions prior to this week.
He said: "We have had a good start to the season and we are still unbeaten in the league, but this was a financial blow to us.
"It would have been nice to have a cup run.
"But Hassocks are up there at the top of the table and we showed we can comfortably compete with them."