Bournemouth travel to Barnes on Saturday for a clash that could be pivotal in determining the fate of both clubs at the end of the season.

Head Coach, Jon Sanchez, sees this weekend as a big opportunity to make up ground.

“Everyone is saying it is a must-win game,” Sanchez says.

“We are in a mini-league at the bottom at the moment, there are five teams and Barnes are one of them. We need to start picking up points against these teams, then we will be safe.”

Lions returned to the bottom of the National Two South table with defeat at home to Esher last weekend, and this weekend’s hosts sit four points ahead in 14th place. It is too early to begin talk of a relegation dogfight, but the coaches on either side will have targeted this match pre-season as an opportunity for points and a chance to put some distance between themselves and other possible contenders for relegation. To stay in this division, these are the matches that the teams simply have to win.

The other early strugglers, Westcliff and Worthing, have tough fixtures themselves. The former host 3rd placed Henley whilst the latter travel to Clifton who sit 5th. And Sanchez, knows that Barnes are vulnerable, with the Londoners having conceded around thirty points per game up to this weekend.

“We are focusing on our attack this week. We have a new shape to the back line that we have been working hard on in training. The boys have responded really well to it.”

And the coaches are gradually bringing together their ideas and defining how the team will play.

Sanchez says, “We have done some play books and the players are really excited about the challenge of our new set piece and how we are going to look to attack. We want to be ruthless in everything we do.”

The foundations of the scrum and line-out will be critical on Saturday, as unforced errors have cost his side several times already this season.

In team news, verteran scrum-half Sam Hardcastle is unavailable so youngster Liam Driscoll, who starred against Henley, comes in. Toby Kenneally moves from blind-side flanker to the second-row, giving former National Two South player of the week Conrad Carkeet another opportunity to impress. Sam Knott drops to the bench.

“We have got a pack there that can get us around the park and make it really difficult for Barnes,” Sanchez adds.

Barnes v Bournemouth, Saturday 2nd November, 3pm