Winchester City will fly the Wessex flag in the FA Cup at Chippenham Town tomorrow, but they are not best pleased with the league they represent.

Director of football David Malone believes the club have been unfairly treated over the rescheduling of fixtures while Alton Town are bringing their pitch up to scratch.

Bournemouth Poppies were the first to suffer when their opening day game at Alton was postponed at three days' notice because the Anstey Road surface was unplayable.

Winchester were due to visit three days later but they agreed to stage the reverse fixture instead at the Denplan City Ground and visit Alton later in the season.

What got City's goat, however, was the subsequent league management committee ruling that any further rearranged games would count as home fixtures for Alton.

It means that City's title rivals Gosport and AFC Totton will end up playing Alton twice on their own patch along with Bemerton, who are due to host Alton's 'home' game next Tuesday.

Malone said: "I'm not happy with the Wessex League. They're saying that because they told us it was a reverse fixture, that' s how it's got to stay, which would be fine if the other clubs were being treated the same.

"But I can't see how it's fair that some sides are going to play them twice at home. All we want is to be treated the same as the others. We had no publicity for the game at our place and the crowd was only about half of what it might have been."

Although the SWL's registration secretary Denis Emery admitted feeling sympathy for City, he said the league could not go back on their decision. He explained: "We made a quick decision to switch the first fixture, as long as Winchester agreed. Then when we had a longer time to think about, we decided to make Alton play home games away.

"It was unfortunate for Winchester that they were the first in line, but they could have said 'no'. We can't go back on it now."

Although Chippenham are two leagues above City in the Dr Martens Premier Division, all is not well at the West Country club.

Last Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Cambridge City left them still searching for their first home win of the season and Malone, a spectator at that game, sensed they were "in disarray."

He said: "I stood by their dugout and I got the impression that their manager, Tommy Saunders, was under pressure. He got on the radio afterwards, laid into the supporters and slagged off his own players something cruel.

"They're a typical Dr Martens side, very big and physical, but we stand a chance if we play well."

Should City get through, their prayer would be to land a rare home draw. Tomorrow's game is their seventh consecutive away tie - four in the Vase and three in the FA Cup.

Winchester have made two new defensive signings - Jamie Laister from Molesey and former Saints sweeper Steve Orsborn - but neither is eligible to play tomorrow.