BOSS Matty Holmes hailed the “quality” of Paddy Hester after he made his Wimborne Town return.

The former Cherries youngster had been set to feature for Magpies’ development side on Saturday before being drafted into the first team at the 11th hour.

After a nagging knee problem kept him out of the start of the campaign, the full-back replaced Jordan Lee for the final 30 minutes during Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at high-flying Hendon.

Holmes told the Daily Echo: “Paddy had been due to play at Christchurch in the reserves on Saturday but we got a call early in the morning to say Christchurch couldn’t field a team.

“I chanced it and asked if he was available to come up with the first team. The way the game panned out we were able to get him on and the physio (Ben Hayes) was happy for him to have 30 minutes.

“He came through it with flying colours. There were no real injuries or reactions.

“He is quality. He played a lot of our games which got us into the play-offs last season and it was great to have him back.

“We just have to get him up to speed with game time and have to make sure we nurture him minute-wise.”

Hester could lock horns with the side he sustained the injury against when Wimborne tomorrow make the trip to Swindon Supermarine in Southern League South (7.45pm).

More than five months have passed since the teams met in last season’s Southern League West play-off final. Supermarine were victorious on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes at Cuthbury.

But after a shake-up of divisions resulted in Wimborne's promotion being rubber-stamped, Holmes is eager to pull away from the drop zone in their first campaign at step three.

“We realise now that every game we play is a cup final when you are in the bottom five or six,” he said.

“We have to make sure we pick up points to get away from that area. You can’t even sit back and be comfortable then because you can easily get dragged back into it.

“If you don’t pick up points then you are going to stay down there and get dragged into it – which we are at the moment.

“But we are playing well enough to get points. We just have to make sure we turn little blips in games into times where we are not conceding and keep focused.

“It’s going to be a tough game. I know they have brought in a couple of different players from last season.

“But we know we can compete at this level and are starting to get belief about us.”

Supermarine are one point below 18th-place Wimborne, having won two of their opening nine fixtures.

Magpies: (from) Benfield, Lee, Hester, Penny, Oldring, Clarke, Stokoe, L.Holmes, T.Holmes, Burbidge, Young, Owen, Arnold, Kellaway, Walsh.