NEW Brockenhurst signing Jimmy Sheppard will getting Boxing Day off after making his debut at Downton tomorrow.

As part of the deal with Lymington & New Milton, the 35-year-old midfielder cannot play against his old club in the New Forest derby at Fawcetts Field on Tuesday (3pm).

"It just goes to show how highly Lymington think of Jimmy that they don't want him playing against them," said Brock's assistant manager Chris Collinge.

Centre-half Nathan Bryant, another new arrival from Poole Town, is also in the travelling party for Downton along with midfielder Mark Taylor who is back in the Brock fold after failing to turn up for the recent FA Vase win at Biggleswade due to personal problems.

Linnets' signing-in-waiting Matt Hussey is cleared to play for Linnets on Boxing Day and should join his brother, Stuart, in the squad. Meanwhile, Matt Town and Nick Miles face fitness tests ahead of Lymington's home game against Portsmouth RN tomorrow.

Newbury call in on Totton tomorrow for what will be new manager Andy Lyne's first JWL game in charge of the Berkshire outfit.

Totton boss Ian Robinson will be demanding a big improvement after accusing his side of "lacking ideas and not using their heads at all" in last Saturday's 0-0 stalemate at Bournemouth Poppies. The Stags, who host a Boxing Day derby against BAT (12 noon), have a slight doubt about frontrunner Aaron Cunningham who was poked in the eye at Bournemouth.

BAT's tough Christmas kicks off at league leaders Andover tomorrow and they entertain second-placed Lymington on December 30.