Ricky Marheineke has ordered his players to put the pride back into St Ives Town tonight.

The Hunts Post: Right-back Harry O'Malley is in line for a St Ives Town recall.Right-back Harry O'Malley is in line for a St Ives Town recall. (Image: Archant)

Saints entertain lower-level Bedford Town in the second round of the Southern League Challenge Cup at ProEdge Westwood Road (7.45pm).

It is the first opportunity to begin righting the wrongs of a 7-0 home drubbing at the hands of Kettering Town in the Premier Division last Saturday - a result which Marheineke admitted left him deserving to be sacked.

That’s not a course of action club chiefs have opted to take and the onus is now on the boss to conjure a response from his players.

Marheineke said: “The Kettering game has gone and we cannot change the past, but it is also not something we can simply expect to be able to forget about.

“It was humiliating, disgraceful, shameful and any other such word I used at the weekend. Myself and my management team are still hurting about the result three days on - and I seriously hope my players are too.

“And I also hope they are as determined as I am to start putting things right. That process begins tonight by producing the best performance we can in what we will be a tough test.”

Marheineke is set to make six changes to the team torn apart by Kettering.

Defenders Scott Sinclair, Mark Coulson and Charlie De’Ath, midfielders Tom McGowan and Jack Higgs, and frontman Buster Harradine are all set to make way.

Harry O’Malley, Lee Chaffey, Jared Cunniff, Josh Dawkin, Danny Kelly and Dubi Ogbonna are those coming in.

Strike duo Ogbonna and Kelly were both unavailable last Saturday while Dawkin was banned.

The match also provides a return for Saints’ promotion-winning skipper of last season, Luke Knight, who is now at Bedford Town.

Elsewhere tonight, Godmanchester Rovers hit the county cup trail.

They make the short trip up the A1 to United Counties League Premier side Yaxley for a Hunts Senior Cup quarter-final, 7.45pm.