Dial boss Steve Brown has thrown down the gauntlet to his players to be more resilient and ruthless in front of goal when they host AFC Cubo at Royal Holloway Sports Centre* today (2:45pm k.o.).

With the championship race starting to heat up, Brown knows that Dial can ill-afford a repeat performance against AFC Walcountians two weeks ago, which saw The Counts come from behind to score three-goals in nine-minutes to inflict Dial's first (competitive) home defeat in over two years.

Prior to losing 2-0 away to Wimbledon Casuals last Saturday (24 Jan), Cubo hadn't lost in the League since 12 October 2024, making them one of the inform teams coming into today's fixture.

Former Colliers Wood United and Tooting Bec striker, Callum Orris, has been integral to much of the Blue Army's success this season, netting 12 league goals in 14 appearances; just four shy Harry Rice.

After slipping up against AFC Walcountians at #Alwyns Lane a fortnight again, Brown is pleased to welcome back Aidan Phillips to the fold to solidify the midfield in the absence of Aidan Doran.

Dial will also be without Charlie Marshall, who has already netted nine league and cup goals in 14 appearances this season, which could see Adam Aziz take on a more advanced position to bolster the attacking options.Adam Bicknell is also sidelined due to serving a three-match ban, while Arnie Linturn is unavailable.

Speaking to DialSquareFC.com on Friday (31 Jan) morning, Brown said: "Following the disappointment a couple of weeks ago, it's important that we make amends today and get three points; but it won't be easy.

"Cubo have been going great guns over the past three months and are one of five teams [incl. Dial] that are realistically still challenging for the title.

"They had some good players when we played them in September; and, although we won 3-1, they are more than capable of getting a result and making things very difficult for us.

"We cannot rest on our laurels; I need to see a response from the players across all areas of the pitch and we need to take our chances," he added.

To view the full list of Dial's fixtures and results, click here.

#ByTheFansForTheFans

*Alwyns Lane pitch is waterlogged