BRACKNELL Town manager Mark Tallentire doesn’t believe their Hellenic League Premier Division top-of-the-table clash with Flackwell Heath at Larges Lane on Saturday (3pm) will be a title decider, writes Dave Wright.

“Yes, it is a massive game for both sides, but it won’t be a season-defining game,” he said.

“We have 10 games to go, 30 points to play for, and I think there will be a lot of twists and turns before the end.

“If we win it will knock them (Flackwell) back a bit, but if they beat us, we still have games in hand over them.

“I would say, there is probably a lot more riding on it for them than there is us.”

The Heathens leap-frogged their rivals to go top of the table after winning 1-0 at fourth-placed Highworth last Saturday, while Town were crushing Westwood United 6-2 in the Reading Senior Cup.

After having a week off, Tallentire was pleased to return to competitive action and he has also arranged a midweek friendly with Finchampstead to sharpen his players up ahead of Flackwell’s visit.

The Robins were given a couple of minor scares by the Thames Valley Premier League side Westwood, but ultimately outclassed their hosts.

“We looked a bit rusty at times,” admitted Tallentire.

“The pitch was very sticky and a bit of a leveller.

“There was no tempo to the play because every time the ball went out everybody was standing around waiting for someone to retrieve it.

“It was a very different experience to what my players are used to.

“Having said that, I thought we adapted quite well as the game went on.

“There were some good things, some not so good things.

“But cup ties are about winning and we are into the next round.

“We scored six goals and we’ve got to be happy with that.

“It was a horrible day, but we got the result and we’re in the hat for the next round.”

A blow for Bracknell is that they will face Flackwell without their inspirational captain, Carl Davies.

He received a two-match suspension following a recent sending off and was expected to miss last Tuesday’s league match at Ardley United as well as the Westwood cup tie.

However, Ardley called off the fixture claiming they had problems with their floodlights, which means he now misses the Flackwell game.

“It’s a pain in the bottom, but we have players in the squad who can step up,” said Tallentire.

“It is food for thought who replaces Carl on Saturday.”