WIMBORNE Town boss Matty Holmes has banned his players from talking about the possibility of reaching the play-offs despite their lofty perch in Southern League West.

Magpies have more than held their own against some of the financial big-hitters in the division this season and are currently flying high in fourth place.

An unjust defeat by Salisbury on New Year’s Day was only their second reverse in 11 league games – an impressive run which has included no fewer than eight wins.

However, manager Holmes insists their first target must be to eclipse last season’s points tally of 57, which saw them achieve a club-highest finishing position of 11th.

It was the first time since joining the league in 2010 that Magpies had finished in the top half of the table and coincided with Holmes’s first full season in management.

Holmes told the Daily Echo: “Fourth is a wonderful place to be at this stage of the season and if anyone had offered me that at the start, I would have bitten off their hand.

“But all I am saying to the lads is get to 58 points as quickly as possible.

“If we were to get to that then we would re-assess and try to hit another mark.

“And if we were still in the mix towards the end of season then the boys would have done unbelievably well.

“You have to deal with suspensions and injuries and we are fortunate at the moment because we don’t have any major ones, although we had three out against Salisbury.

“But we are coping okay and games are coming thick and fast so it is still too early to talk about that (the play-offs).

“I have told the players that I am not interested in talking about that and they have to make sure it is not on their minds in every game.”

Wimborne will be hoping to bounce back from their Salisbury defeat when they host ninth-placed Evesham United at Cuthbury on Saturday (3pm).

Holmes felt two crucial refereeing decisions had gone against Magpies at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium with the Whites netting a second goal in added time to seal a 2-0 win.

“The boys played so well and that is what you want,” said Holmes. “We have played worse recently and still won games so had it the other way at Salisbury.

“We played well and got beaten when we shouldn’t have. But the boys are flying, their performances are really positive and everyone is playing well.

“If we keep playing the way we are, we will certainly win more games than we lose.”

Holmes will make late checks on Sam Bayston, Sam Davidson and Will Prior, who were all ruled out of the trip to Wiltshire due to injury.

Defender Ben Walker, an unused substitute against Salisbury despite carrying an ankle problem, is another doubt.

Toby Holmes’s second-half double earned Magpies a 2-1 win at Evesham in September.