SWINDON Supermarine manager Lee Spalding will tell his troops not to be overwhelmed when they play host to their professional neighbours this evening.

For the 26th year in succession, Swindon Town will take on the town’s leading non-league side in a pre-season friendly, with Richie Wellens’ team travelling to the Webbswood Stadium tonight.

Although well aware that most of his own team’s play will be without the ball as they look to stifle Town’s attacking threat, boss Spalding wants Marine – who play in the third tier of non-league in Southern League Premier Division South – to stand tall against their more illustrious opponents.

“This is always a fixture we look forward to in pre-season. It will be a good opportunity to see how the lads compete against a professional outfit,” said Spalding.

“At this time of the season, it is about getting minutes into legs.

“Swindon will obviously have a lot of the ball, so we will be looking at what we do off the ball.

“It is a good opportunity for us to have a look at the new players and a few things we have worked on already.

“We will go out and enjoy it. I don’t want anyone to be overawed, we just need to go out and enjoy ourselves.

“We will get the things that we need to out of the game.”

Aside from the match itself, Spalding says a meeting with Town provides a summer boost to Marine right across the club as it swells interest back into activities at the Webbswood in time for the competitive campaign.

“We are really looking forward to it. It will be a great day for the players but also everyone at the club too. We are all going to enjoy it,” said Spalding.

“It’s not just the football. Hopefully there will be a lot of people come to watch and hopefully we can put on a good show."

Football fans in the town will get to see the new recruits Wellens has brought to the Energy Check County Ground over the summer, but the match also provides Spalding to have a first look at his own summer signings in a match environment.

Spalding said: “The guys we have brought in have strengthened the squad and they have all settled in well.

“It was important we did a bit of business over the summer. We had a good group last season with a good spirit, but you always need to strengthen.

“I feel that the players we have brought in have done that and it gives us good options.

“We look forward to the season and I think we will be competitive.”