BASINGSTOKE Town manager Jason Bristow expects his side to come up against a rejuvenated Staines Town team when they make the trip to Middlesex this afternoon (3pm).

The Dragons won 2-1 when the sides met at The Soccer AM Stadium on Boxing Day and Staines’ terrible run extended to 14 defeats in 15 league games with a 5-3 loss at home to Chelmsford City on Sunday, a game they led 2-0 at one point.

The defeat left the Middlesex club nine points adrift at the bottom of the table and proved to be Gayle’s last in charge of the club, the former Wimbledon star being asked to resign the following day.

Bristow said: “The Staines game may be a little trickier now that Marcus Gayle has left the club. A change of manager can really motivate players.

“It will be interesting to see what side we face. We cannot take anything from Boxing Day into the game, because they could be a totally different side.

“They caused us a few problems last week, though we caused a lot of them ourselves by giving the ball away cheaply.

“Conditions did not help, but we didn’t put the game to bed, and that’s something that we have to learn from.”

Three days after their trip to Staines, at 1pm on Sunday, Basingstoke play their first home game of the new year, with Eastbourne Borough the visitors to The Soccer AM Stadium.

The Sussex side sit ninth in the Vanarama Conference South table.

They made an excellent start to the season, but a dip in form has seen them win just two of their last 13 league games.

They have won just once away from home all season, but they have drawn a lot of games and Bristow is expecting a hard afternoon.

“I have seen them a couple of times and they are well set up,” he said. “They try to pass and play good football.

“Their form dropped off a bit but they have picked up of late and it will be tough because we play them twice in six days.”

Injury-wise, Town will be without Jay Gasson and Manny Williams for both games, while Liam Enver-Marum is over his knee injury but lacks match fitness.

Pat Cox is expected to be fit after illness and could start in attack, while Town have signed Reading youngster Rob Dickie to fill in for Gasson at centre-back.