SATURDAY'S trip to Lopes Tavares could be a potential banana skin for his promotion-chasing Humbugs side, according to Halstead Town manager Mark McLean.

While the hosts are sat 14th in the Thurlow Nunn League division one south table - 12 places below their visitors - McLean feels it is a position that belies their strengths and said they could be a dangerous proposition.

He saw that when the two met two weeks ago and although Halstead won 2-0 on that occasion, the Humbugs boss said they would not take their foes lightly.

He said: "What we learned from the game we had against them a couple of weeks ago was how dangerous they are. "They were unbeaten in five going into that game against us before and they showed why that had been the case, but a 2-0 scoreline was fair on the day as I felt we deserved to win.

"We didn't have Chris Harris or Jake Brown then and they'll both be available this time, but then Lopes Tavares didn't have a couple who I'm led to believe are their best players.

"So they will be a massive test again.

"If we turn up off it at all then they will hurt us because they are capable of hurting anyone.

"We have to be on our game with a purpose."

McLean said he expected Callum Vincent and Tom Cook to be unavailable for the trip to Lopes Tavares, but he would have Marcus Warren coming back after missing last week and club skipper Jake Brown would return after a three-game suspension.

Halstead come into the game on the back of a 5-1 home win against Holland FC last weekend and McLean was impressed by his team's performance.

He added: "We started well, which is always important and we got the first goal.

"We were then very naive and let them back in with a goal, but it was one of those things that can happen and not one that we spent time worrying about because it was not in tune with the game.

"We just had to wipe ourselves down and go again, which we did. "It was important for us to score before half-time and we never looked back after that.

"We did have the wind in our faces after the break and that kept it as a contest, so we had to be strong and adjust to it, but once we got the third goal we stepped up to another gear.

"We had real purpose and it was very enjoyable to watch."