Lymington & New Milton are hoping scout Mark Smith will come up trumps again for the trip to Merthyr Tydfil.

The expert eye of the former Winchester City boss and Bemerton assistant manager helped Linnets dispose of Merthyr's Southern Premier rivals Chippenham Town in the last round.

Now, thanks to Smith's detailed reports, the Wessex League underdogs will be perfectly prepared to tame the Welsh dragon at Penydarren Park.

Assistant boss Richie Phippard said: "Mark watched Chippenham before and it did the trick. He went to see Merthyr last Saturday and hopefully it'll give us a bit of an advantage.

"He's doing a similar job for us that Steve Beck does for Paul Doswell at Eastleigh. Ian (manager Ian Robinson) and I don't get much chance to see other games, but it's nice to know a bit about your opponents' players and formations."

Linnets striker Paddy James injured his shoulder in a collision with the Portland goalkeeper on Tuesday but is expected to play as is defender Paul Towler, who hurt his elbow.

Darren Crook, Kevin James, Sam Carter and Jimmy Anderson return to the fold, but a question mark remains over midfielder Chris Smith's groin strain.

Skipper Jimmy Sheppard served a one-match club ban against Downton last Friday as punishment for his actions against Chippenham. Having been sent off for swearing, the Linnets skipper got embroiled in an argument with visiting fans.

The ugly scenes, which also saw substituted midfielder Mark Clothier red-carded for allegedly throwing a water bottle, detracted from a superb performance by the Linnets.

But chairman John Mills reported: "We've reached an amicable agreement with Chippenham and drawn a line under the episode."

Lymington have been named SWL club-of-the-month for September. League vice-chairman Ray Barnes will present the award at next Saturday's home game against Hamble ASSC.