BASINGSTOKE Town may have beaten play-off semi-final opponents Whitehawk three times this season, but manager Jason Bristow is warning that his side will have to battle their way through two tough games to reach the final.

Finishing third in the final Vanarama Conference South standings earned Town a semi-final tie against Whitehawk, who finished fourth, just one point behind them.

The first leg will take place at the Sussex club’s Enclosed Ground tomorrow night (7.45pm), with the return match at The Soccer AM Stadium on Saturday afternoon (3pm). The side that comes out on top over the course of 180 minutes will earn themselves a place in the play-off final, with the away goals rule not applicable.

Town have emerged 1-0 winners each time that they have faced the Sussex club so far this, beating them home and away in the league and also knocking them out of the FA Trophy at The Soccer AM Stadium.

However, all three games have been incredibly close and Whitehawk go into the game in top form, winning their last four league matches to pip Havant and Waterlooville, who they beat on the final day, to fourth place.

Bristow said: “They are going to be two tough games. I think Whitehawk have probably been the best side we have come up against and while they haven’t been able to score against us, they have caused us real problems.

“Their squad is full of really talented players and they have moulded together into a very good team, but we can go there with confidence, knowing that we have beaten them three times this season. We’ve got to make sure we beat them four or five times.

“It’s great to be in the play-offs, but we’ve got to keep our feet on the ground. We’ve got to keep doing what we’ve been doing all season.”

Town are in pretty decent form themselves, having lost just one of their last five and two of their last 11 games. They also go into the first leg in the knowledge that only champions Bromley ended the season with a better away record than them, with Saturday’s win at Weston-super-Mare their 12th victory in 20 games on the road.

The visitors will be without Liam Enver-Marum and Shaun McAuley, who serve the final game of their three-match bans, but apart from that, Bristow hopes to have a full squad to pick from.

Midfielder James Harper is expected to be back to full fitness after being forced off before half-time on Saturday due to the after-effects of the illness that had kept him out the previous week, while Lloyd Macklin should recover from the kick he took in winning a penalty.

Judging by their last few games, Town look set to line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Rob Dickie, David Ray and Jay Gasson as the back three.

Assuming he is fit, Harper is expected to anchor the midfield, but the other two midfield spots could be up for grabs.

Louie Soares was rested for Saturday's trip to Weston, making him a likely candidate for one of them, with Jamie Brown and Simon Dunn the other options. Dunn is probably favourite, but Brown could get the nod if Bristow decides to try and solidify the centre of the park in an attempt to nullify the threat of former Basingtoke favourite Sergio Torres.

In attack, Macklin looks set to partner Chris Flood, but Nicholas Bignall impressed on Saturday, giving Bristow an excellent option from the bench.

Visit basingstokegazette.co.uk/sport for live text commentary from Whitehawk tomorrow night