DORCHESTER Sports’ boss Ashley James admitted his side know little about Poole Town Under-23s ahead of their Dorset Senior Trophy second round tie tomorrow (1.30pm).

Many of the Dolphins’ under-23s will be out on loan for senior sides, but Poole’s crop of talent gave a reminder of their ability on Wednesday evening.

In a Combination Cup game, Poole held a Weymouth Under-23s side – strengthened by the likes of Calvin Brooks, Ahkeem Rose and Martell Taylor-Crossdale – to a 2-2 draw before succumbing 4-3 on penalties.

And James admitted he does not know what to expect from the clash, which is being held in Blandford.

“We haven’t got a clue!” he told Echosport. “It’s a complete unknown, we don’t know who they’re going to have playing.

“What we do know is that they’re going to be young, fit, hungry and will want to put in a good performance.

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“We’re going to have to be at our best to get through. We played Champion (Sports) in the summer and they were a really good outfit.

“We lost 4-3 to them in pre-season and I know a lot of their players came through that. We’re imagining a very similar game to that.

“It’s on a 3G so that will suit us, obviously with our home (pitch). We’ll be confident of getting through to the next round.”

James admits cup progression is a big target for his side this campaign.

“It’s vital, it just keeps everyone positive, wanting to try and get in the team,” James said.

“The worst thing is if you’re out of both the cups before November. Sometimes after Christmas you haven’t got anything to play for.

“At the moment, being six points behind Ham Rec and being in both cups, everyone’s really buzzing. Confidence is high and everyone’s working hard to try and get in the team.”

Sports have seven players – Jack Steele, Louis Hankin, Alex Gould, Darren Watts, Ed Bastick, Billy Brumble and Jamie Quinton – coming back from unavailability.

Meanwhile, Sports’ right-back Ash Smith has announced his intention to stop playing.