MATTY Holmes has brushed off concerns over Wimborne Town's home form ahead of tonight’s Southern South & West clash with Bideford.

Magpies claimed seven points from the first nine on offer on their own turf this season but the past three visitors to Cuthbury have all gone away savouring victory.

Nevertheless, having run both league leaders Hereford and third-placed Mangotsfield close during that barren spell, Holmes does not believe his team have a problem with playing in front of their own fans.

Holmes told the Daily Echo: “It’s purely down to the teams we’ve played. We’re playing experienced sides at home at the moment.

“I think the fans will say our performances were good against Mangotsfield and Hereford, then Swindon were a very clever side.

“Our early season home form was fantastic. We were excellent against Bishops Cleeve and did brilliantly against Winchester, when we drew but should have won the game.

"We’ve come across three very good sides, who will be vying for promotion at the end of the season and, because of that, our CV possibly doesn't reflect how well we've done.

“We just need to make sure we get back to being more solid when we lose the ball and perhaps work for each other a little bit more.”

Holmes’s men will encounter a Bideford side currently firmly ensconced in mid-table, having won five and lost five of their opening 13 games.

And the manager is hoping his seventh-placed team can string together a sequence of positive results, having bounced back from their defeat by Supermarine with a 1-0 win at Wantage on Saturday.

“We have a good chance but Bideford are no pushovers,” said Holmes. “They’re a Premier side, really, having come down last season.

“The boys enjoy playing on a Tuesday under lights at Cuthbury so we’re looking for them to find that consistency we want.”

With Magpies enjoying a mini-resurgence under Holmes’s leadership, the former Cherries star wants supporters to continue to flood through the Cuthbury turnstiles to back his team.

“We had a really good crowd against Supermarine,” said Holmes. “The result wasn’t what we wanted but, hopefully, they saw we were still trying to play football.

“I know our boys would really appreciate the extra support, because the fans carried on getting behind us last week. It would be wonderful if we can get another big crowd to see what we’re trying to do.”

Midfielder Billy Maybury will have a fitness test prior to the game, with forward Dan Cann expected to be on the bench following his recovery from a calf problem.

Luke Holmes, meanwhile, played the final 20 minutes of the victory at Wantage, but his manager does not anticipate the midfielder being ready to start against Bideford.

Magpies: (from) O'Flaherty, Walker, Penny, Arnold, Davidson, Kellaway, Stokoe, Prior, T Holmes, Lanahan, Lovell, L Holmes, Cordner, Cooper, O'Hare, Cann, Maybury, Benfield (g/k).