Hampton & Richmond Borough boss Alan Dowson has told his men to use this weekend’s Geoff Harvey Memorial Vase tournament to cement their place in his Ryman Premier League squad.

The Beavers boss saw former Kingstonian winger Charlie Knight score in his side’s 2-1 defeat to a Brentford development squad at the Beveree on Wednesday, staking his claim to a place.

Hampton and Brentford fielded different teams in each half as the Bees led at the break through Jan Holdack and Aaron Greene.

Knight, who was a key player as Ks finished second in the Ryman Premier League in 2014, scored 16 minutes after the restart, but Hampton could not level matters.

Fellow trialist Johnny Cash also looked lively and Dowson is looking for more at Corinthian Casuals this weekend.

“I’ve been very impressed by the work rate the lads have shown in training. I cannot fault them,” he said.

“It is all very well doing well in training, but the boys have now got to show what they are a capable of in a match.

"Apart from Ryan Newman and Dean Sinclair, who I brought on in the second half, there was no-one who did anything. Charlie Knight scored, but I struggle to think of anything else he did.

"It is clear we have to work on fitness. I looked like a game that the boys were just using to get fit and that is not good enough.

"We've got four weeks to get our systems sorted and to get match fit.

"We have a friendly tournament at the weekend and then I have got to nail down a 16 or 17-man squad to face Aldershot Town (July 18).

“This is a chance for the players to make sure they are in there.  Then it is dog-eat-dog."