Lewes coach Jason Hopkinson admits his side will still be underdogs even though they face a side with a worse record than his own relegated outfit tomorrow.

The Rooks are desperate to claim back-to-back wins for the first time this season and will never have a better opportunity against free-falling Weymouth at the Dripping Pan.

The Terras have lost their last ten games and will have gone ten hours without a goal if they play for eight minutes without scoring. They have only scored twice in their last ten matches and one of those was an own goal.

The Dorset outfit have slid from a comfortable mid-table position to 20th place, just a point above the relegation zone.

Lewes ended their 18-match losing streak with a 2-0 victory over Altrincham on Saturday but Hopkinson insists all the pressure is on Weymouth.

He said: “They are going to look on it as a great opportunity to get three points so we know we are in for a tough afternoon.

“But we have done our homework and will prepare the team properly. Our aim between now and the end of the season is to win a few more games and if that gets us off bottom place then great.

“There might not appear to be a lot to play for but every game is important and it would be great if we could build on a very good performance last week.”

The significance of the occasion is not lost on Weymouth player-coach Marcus Browning, whose side lost 3-0 at Eastbourne Borough last week.

“Saturday’s game is massive,” he said. “We have lost our last ten games and are now deep in the mire so we have no choice but to go to Lewes and go all out for the win.

“With them being bottom of the league there is a great opportunity for us to end our losing run and pick up some much-needed points.”

Rooks are set to rotate their small squad with a trip to Ebbsfleet on Monday but they will be without the influential Danny Cullip for both games.

The former Albion defender is suspended after collecting his tenth yellow card of the campaign last week. Steffan Cox is also banned for the Easter fixtures but fullback Anthony Barness returns tomorrow after a one-match suspension.

Hopkinson says Lewes are having to juggle their meagre resources carefully with reserve and youth-team fixtures to fulfill.

The second string were hammered 11-0 by Millwall on Tuesday and Hopkinson, who runs their successful youth team, is acutely aware of over-playing the club’s youngsters.

Rooks have three players on work experience from Football League clubs but can only play two of them in a game. Striker Luke Rooney and defender Josh Jirbandey were excellent in last week’s win but their third loanee, striker Geoff Banks-Smith, will get an opportunity to impress over Easter, probably at Ebbsfleet on Monday.

“We’re really having to be careful with our squad at the moment but the first team is the priority and we will rotate where we can,” added Hopkinson.

“It is difficult because we basically have the same 16 or 17 players with a lot of games to fulfill and we’re losing Danny Cullip which is a big blow because he has been a model professional this season.

“But we’re also conscious of not over-playing the youngtsers. It is asking a lot of 17 and 18-year-olds to play two games in such a short space of time.”

Michael Standing, who was taken off as a precaution in the later stages of the Altrincham win, will be fit to take his place in the squad.

Lewes (from): Banks, Jirbandey, Barness, Breach, Fisk, Wheeler, Standing, Keehan, Rooney, Storrie, Rivers, Foreman, Surtton, Wilkinson, Hall, Banks-Smith, Barton.

Weymouth (from): Legzdins, Mawer, Critchell, Browning, Coutts, Onibuje, Hoyte, Cutler, Merella, Palmer, Collins, Hart, Gill, Akurang, Evans, Cooke, Reed.

Follow Lewes LIVE against Weymouth tomorrow at theargus.co.uk/live reports