FC CLACTON boss David Coyle wants to see how his side cope under pressure tonight.

After losing their opening pre-season friendly at Cornard United, the Seasiders have strolled to victory in their last three matches and smashed in 17 goals.

Now Coyle wants to see how his troops handle a different challenge at the opposite end of the pitch when he takes them to Bury Town.

The match against Ryman League opposition was arranged following the postponement of last week’s friendly at home to Brightlingsea Regent.

Coyle expects to see his side on the back foot - and is looking forward to seeing how they handle the situation.

“I fully expect us to get a bit of a beating tonight,” said the Clacton boss, who is fine-tuning his squad ahead of Saturday’s Thurlow Nunn League curtain-raiser at Swaffham.

“But I wanted to play a better team, like Brightlingsea or now Bury.

“We need a real test, where we spend the majority of the time defending, because that will happen in league games.

“We need a match where we’re going to be on the back foot, against a strong, athletic, passing team and where we’re going to have to defend.

“We need a game that’s going to test our ability to keep our shape and spend the majority of it defending.

“I want to see how the players cope when they have their backs to the wall.”

While pleased to see the goals fly in at one end, Coyle has been disappointed with some of his side’s defending.

They conceded twice in Friday’s 7-2 victory at Essex and Suffolk Border League neighbours Holland FC.

And they also conceded three in the previous weekend’s 5-3 success at Coggeshall Town.

Elsewhere tonight, again in light of the Clacton-Brightlingsea postponement, Regent have fixed up a friendly at Tiptree Jobserve.

Wivenhoe Town host Burnham Ramblers and have just confirmed the signing of three new players - former Clacton goalkeeper Liam Daniels, Markel Greenidge and Dan Homewood.

Daniels played in Wivenhoe’s 4-1 friendly win against Eton Manor.

Greenidge returns to the club for a second spell after a break from playing.

He is prominently a forward but can also play in midfield.

In his last spell at the club he played 59 times for Wivenhoe and scored 12 goals.

Midfielder Homewood also returns for a second spell at the club.

He was a regular in the Dragons’ reserves before breaking into the first team at the end of the 2014/2015 season.

Halstead Town host Kelvedon, while Maldon & Tiptree face a Stevenage XI at Park Drive.