BRIDPORT will not play as planned a pre-season friendly against Dorchester Sports after the latter pulled out 24 hours before citing a spate of injuries.

The Bees will instead train Wednesday evening ahead of their next summer friendly, a trip to Chard Town on Friday (7.30pm).

Chris Herbst’s men have already been training for a month and have two pre-season games under their belt, losing 2-0 to Portland United before beating Beer Albion 4-0.

Weymouth have stepped up to provide an additional friendly on Wednesday, July 24 with the Terras’ team expected to consist largely of under-23s and trialists.

READ MORE: Bridport 4-0 Beer Albion - report

Mark Molesley’s side have a first-team friendly against Eastleigh some 24 hours before the Bridport fixture, reducing the chances of their biggest stars being involved.

Speaking to Echosport, Herbst said: “Dorchester Sports said they’ve had a few injuries, so they’re going to have to pull out.

“They said it wasn’t done lightly, so it’s just one of those. It’s unlucky, people can’t help it.”

It is understood Dorset League side Portland Panthers were put forward as a possible opponent for the Bees at the final hour, although an arrangement could not be made.

Herbst is also confident the cancellation will not affect Bridport’s preparations for the Chard friendly.

He said: “I want to try people out in certain positions. Having these options tweaks it a little bit.

“I may get some into the reserves who have done some running but not the intense stuff. We’ll look at it.”

New signing Stef Stavrianos is again expected to feature, while the likes of Riley Weedon and Jake Childs will continue to step up their pre-season regimes.