SALISBURY City boss Nick Holmes has paid his ex-Dell teammate Mark Dennis the ultimate compliment ahead of tomorrow's Eastern Division clash at Fleet Town.
Holmes reckons the talented but fiery left-back, affectionately known as 'Psycho', was the best Saint of his generation never to get an England cap.
Like Holmes, 41-year-old Dennis is in his first season of Dr Martens Eastern Division management. Working in tandem with former Hampshire wicketkeeper Adi Aymes, he has dragged Fleet up by their bootlaces and ensured they will stay in the Southern League for next term.
At the other end of the table Holmes still has promotion in his sights, although fifth-place City must rely on the clubs above them slipping up if they are to reclaim the Premier Division status they lost last season.
FA Cup winner Holmes, 14 years a one-club Saints man, likes nothing better than an old boys' reunion and is itching to see Dennis again.
The pair have not crossed paths since Holmes gave up his sunshine lifestyle in Florida last summer to take up the Raymond McEnhill Stadium reins.
He said: "It'll be really nice to meet my old mate. I've always had the utmost respect for him. He had so much ability and must have been the best player we had at our place never to have got a cap.
"England have always struggled for left-sided players, but Mark was unlucky because Kenny Sansom was around at that time.
"If he'd been given a chance, I'm sure he would have made an impression. It's a pity he's not playing now because it's a bit easier to get an England cap these days."
Dennis left Saints in 1987 after a string of run-ins with manager Chris Nicholl and some remember him more for his flawed temperament than his playing skill. Holmes finds that a shame, saying: "Mark always had a reputation that went with him, but he was a decent lad. If you'd taken that side away from him, he wouldn't have been such a good player."
Salisbury, who entertain Bashley on Easter Monday (3pm), are currently level on points with the fourth-placed Foresters with a game in hand.
They would have been third and breathing fire down the necks of Eastbourne and Dorchester had they not had three points docked for fielding an ineligible player. Whites' appeal against the punishment was thrown out by the FA in Birmingham last week, but they are exploring possible legal action.
Whites' defender Josh Thomas, who has been struggling with groin trouble plus a whiplash injury from a car crash, returned to training this week. Experienced defender Andy Cook is still bothered by a medial knee ligament problem and striker Leigh Phillips has been ill.
Fleet, already without suspended Saints Academy striker Shea Saunders, picked up injuries to Ed Hare (hamstring) and John Murphy (ankle) in Tuesday's Aldershot Senior Cup final.
Monday's date with Bashley puts Holmes on a collision course with another of his old Saints mates, Barry Blankley, who once cleaned his boots at The Dell.
Bash face an awesome task against leaders Eastbourne at the Recreation Ground tomorrow but, if they rise to it, the stakes could hardly be higher against Salisbury.
The Foresters were unlucky to concede a stoppage-time equaliser at Eastbourne in January and Blankley promised: "We will fight and scrap to the death in this promotion race. Unfortunately our destiny's no longer in our own hands, but there's no negativity here. The players have been positive all season. Even when we went through our recent blip, the attitude was superb."
Craig Anstey sits out his last game suspended tomorrow and defender Mat Jones is nursing a slight hamstring pull.
Bash skipper Darren Robson must serve a three-match ban for his sending-off against Sittingbourne last week. It will rule him out of the last two league games at home to Stamford next Saturday and at Rothwell on May 3 - plus the Hampshire Senior Cup final against Aldershot at St Mary's on May 8.
Newport IoW go into tomorrow's home match against in-form Tonbridge with manager Steve Tate admitting: "I'm not sure which of my sides will turn up!"
The Islanders were outstanding in last Saturday's 4-2 win at Rothwell but, being a young side, they are prone to inconsistency. Tate said: "Consistency comes with experience so, having just produced their best performance at Rothwell, they could produce their worst tomorrow - but I hope not.
"For some reason the best we've played this season has been away from home and it would be nice to show our own supporters what we're capable of." Former Orient striker Danny Hatcher returns to the reckoning after missing the Rothwell trip for family reasons.
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