BASINGSTOKE Town will be hoping for bumper crowds at the Camrose this festive period as they take on Royston on Saturday and then Gosport Borough on Boxing Day.

Town have an excellent record at home having been beaten just twice this season and will hope to continue this great run.

Basingstoke boss Terry Brown is hoping Charlie Kennedy (illness) and Dan Collier (injury) will be back and said: "We have plenty of ball playing players in midfield, but not someone who is going to win you tackles. so I hope one of these two is back, as the side will have a lot better balance."

Saturday's visitors Royston are two places above Town in 15th and Gosport are one from bottom.

Looking ahead to the two games at the Camrose, Brown added: "Both are winnable and I hope we have some good crowds coming down over Christmas to cheer the boys on."

On Tuesday night, Town drew 1-1 at Merthyr as Callum Bunting gave Town the lead, only for Miles John to equalise.

This was after they turned in a superb performance at bottom placed Dunstable last Saturday where they won 6-0.

Super Sammy Argent scored five times for the Dragons, while the excellent George Bennett got the other goal, as the visitors netted four times after the break.

Town manager Brown felt the performances were like chalk and cheese and said: "It was two points lost at Merthyr as they are young side and we should have done better, we struggled all game.

"Against Dunstable we were really good in all departments and could have scored even more than the six we got."