BOSS Paul Collicutt is preparing Evesham United to face one of the league's "best squads and probably one of the better budgets” this weekend.

Bristol Manor Farm head to the Jubilee Stadium on Saturday (3pm) sat 15th in Southern League Division One South.

Those glancing at the standings might think it one of the easier tasks for the Robins, who occupy fifth spot ahead of tackling three of the top four in their final five outings.

But Collicutt, who saw United lose the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier in the campaign, insists Manor Farm have more clout than the table suggests.

“They have one of the best squads and probably one of the better budgets in the league,” said Collicutt.

“They have an exceptionally-good strike force with Owen Howe, who I would rate as one of the best in the division alongside Ben Whitehead at Cirencester.

“On top of that they have signed a lad called Jordan Rogers who scored a lot of goals at this level for Taunton Town and has been at Tiverton and Frome in the division above.

“All of the games in this league are tough but this one in particular will be a bigger test than some might think if they only look at the table.”

Left-back Will Tunnicliff will be assessed ahead of the showdown after tweaking his hamstring in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Paulton Rovers, a match that also saw Nick Hancock suffered a facial injury. Liam Harding sat out the clash.

“Liam suffered a bit of a reaction from the week before so we hope that rest did him some good ahead of the run in. That’s one we will have to monitor,” added Collicutt.

“Nick took a whack to the face and I am waiting to find out whether he has broken his nose.”

Collicutt also hopes to sign a goalkeeper this week as cover for number-one Andy Hannah.