NEIL BAKER has warned that Slough Town will need to be at their best when Poole Town visit Arbour Park in the FA Cup third qualifying round this Saturday (3pm).

Slough will go into the tie in the better form having lost just twice all season and after a confidence-boosting 4-1 win at Redditch United on Tuesday.

Poole won 2-0 at Salisbury to reach this stage of the competition but have struggled in National South having managed just two victories from 12 league matches.

However, The Dolphins draw 0-0 with Chelmsford City on Saturday and Baker (pictured above) is expecting a tight game and knows that anything can happen in the FA Cup.

The Rebels joint-manager told the Observer: “Poole will be well-organised. I know they’ve got a few injuries and one or two players missing but it will come down to the toss of a coin.

“It does help for us to be at home and it was probably not the draw Poole were looking for. We will go into the match with confidence but we will need to be at our best to win.

“Poole are very capable and, though they are having a little wobble under Tom Killick [manager] for the first time, they’ve built a strong side and got a fantastic result on Saturday against the favourites for that league.

“If I were a bookmaker I would say that there will not be much in it. We probably might just edge favouritism but it will be very tight and we will have to be at the top of our game.

“Poole are in a league higher than us but there’s only a six-place difference in the league pyramid. Poole got into the play-off positions last season so this will be a really tight game, and it’s the FA Cup so anything can happen.

“We are only two wins away from the first round proper and that’s what we’re all striving for, and so will they be.”

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