WORCESTER City hope to be boosted by the return of key players Ian Cottrill and Paul Carty as they bid to reach the Dr Martens Cup final tonight.

Both should be back in the starting line-up for their semi-final at Newport County (7.45).

The pair, who have been playing successfully in defence in recent weeks, were both on the bench in Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Weymouth to rest slight niggles.

However, winger Mike Wyatt (knee injury) and defender Andy Bradley (back) are both ruled out by injuries that also kept them out of the Weymouth game.

Manager John Barton is backing City's players to put on a good show despite their heavy schedule of matches. Worcester will be playing their fourth game in the last seven days tonight.

He said: "We have to disregard the schedule. If you go out there thinking about what you have just come through, then mentally you start the game down.

"It is about what is to come, and you have to prepare yourselves accordingly."

City are looking to reach the final of the competition for the first time in 41 years, but face a stiff task at free-scoring Newport, who drew 4-4 in a league game at St George's Lane on New Year's Day.

Barton added: "You don't expect anything to be easy at this stage.

"People may not attach too much value to this competition in the early stages, but if you get to the final it becomes important to the competing clubs."

Worcester's 11-match unbeaten run came to an end with their defeat at Weymouth, which makes the Dorset side favourites to finish third in the Dr Martens League Premier Division - they are three points behind City with three games in hand.

Barton, who was sent from the dug-out for comments made to an assistant referee, admitted: "It was a game too far for us after the week we have had, but the severity of the scoreline was down to some poor goals that in another game wouldn't have been allowed to stand.

"We had no complaints about the outcome of the game."

Worcester (from): McDonnell, P. Wyatt, Burrow, Lutz, Greenman, Weir, Tucker, Heeley, Ellis, Owen, Shepherd, Hyde, Cottrill, Carty, Joyce, Burns.