ALMOST ten years after a 2,047 crowd crammed into the Recreation Ground at Bashley for the FA Cup visit of Swansea, the turnstiles will click into overdrive again tomorrow.

Around 1,000 fans of south London wonder club AFC Wimbledon are expected to descend on the leafy New Forest haven as the mighty Ryman Division 1 leaders roll into town.

When the Daily Echo spoke to Bashley's executive committee member Richard Millbery, he was overseeing the printing of 1,000 programmes - more ten times the amount the club would normally produce for their average league gate of 90.

He said: "It's not just Wimbledon fans we're expecting.

"We've had people phoning from Bournemouth and all round enquiring about the match. We've got supporters we never knew we had!"

The big question on Bash minds will be whether Geoff Butler's fiesty Foresters can halt the Dons' extraordinary record-breaking run of 77 unbeaten league games.

Having equalled St Blazey's English senior record of 75 with a 3-0 win over Fleet Town earlier this month, Wimbledon claimed a unique place in the history books with a 1-1 draw at Bromley.

And, last Saturday, the amazing sequence, which began with a 3-1 win at Chessington in February 2003, continued when the Dons sent Dulwich Hamlet packing 2-0 in front of a 3,000 Kingsmeadow crowd.

"It would be nice to be the ones to beat them," said Millbery. "It's an incredible run to keep going. I remember we managed to go a whole season unbeaten at the old AFC Lymington and that was hard enough."

While Wimbledon's crowd-pulling potential places them in a different financial league to Bashley, Butler reckons there must be more to Dave Anderson's record-breakers than just a collection of city slickers.

He said: "To keep winning like they do, they must be more than just good players.

"If you're not organised and disciplined, it doesn't matter how good you are, you're going fall from grace sometimes - but Wimbledon haven't done that."

Bashley, sitting ninth in the table, have scored only two fewer Ryman goals than their illustrustrious visitors, but the real gulf lies in defence where the Foresters having conceded 30 compared to Wimbledon's 12.

Last week's 4-4 draw at fourth-placed Cray encapsulated Bashley's season into 90 rollercoaster minutes, but Butler insisted: "Anybody can beat anybody in this league and we're quite capable of getting a result against Wimbledon.

"It'll take a hell of a performance though. Our players must stand up and be counted and we need everybody to do the right thing.

"Barring a catostrophe, Wimbledon are going to be a Premier Division side next season and this is a lovely opportunity for our lads to show what they can do.

"Motivation shouldn't be a problem."

Butler's only doubt concerns on-loan Havant & Waterlooville midfielder Luke Byles, who was due to have a blood test this week.

Top scorer Richard Gillespie, pictured above, was withdrawn with a tight hamstring in Tues-day's Bryco Cup win at Witham but should be fit.

With such a large crowd expected, Bash plan to borrow extra matchday stewards from Butler's old club Salisbury City.

And Millbery confirmed: "We've been liaising with the police and they will be observing tomorrow.

"They're pleased the game's on a Saturday rather than the original Tuesday date.

"I understand they'll be closing Bashley Road off briefly after the game to get the initial rush out of the ground."