Ian Culverhouse will resist the urge to give hot-shot striker Adam Marriott a run-out this evening.

The Linnets head to neighbours Downham Market Town for a friendly (7pm), but Marriott will sit it out, as he did the weekend game against Kettering Town.

The good news is, the striker went through a fitness procedure before the game and will play a part when Lynn head to St Albans at the weekend for their final friendly before kicking off their first season in the National League on October 3, at home to Yeovil.

Michael Gash looks set to be out for some time as he recovers from illness, but Culverhouse has shelved plans to bring in another striker.

”We have looked at it, but we are going to be patient with Mike, because of what he brings to the team and we are hopeful that Mazz will be ready for us, if not the first week definitely the second week, so we will wait and hold on for them,” he said,

“Mazz is going to be training this week. He is hopefully going to come out and try and have some minutes at St Albans. Gashy’s still poorly I’m afraid. It has knocked him for six and we have just got to be patient with big Mike and we will welcome him back with open arms when he comes back because he is a big influence about the place.

“Kingy (Cameron King) was missing as well (against Kettering) - he has opened up his knee a little touch so it was precautionary why we left him out. So hopefully they will have some minutes next Saturday at St Albans and then we are into the final week.”

Marriott banged in a staggering 28 goals on 31 starts last season after 24 in 33 the previous campaign, so it is little surprise Culverhouse is eager for him to return, whilst careful about aggravating the injury, sustained in the first half of Lynn’s opening friendly game at Stowmarket Town.

“It is going to be touch and go, but it has healed really well,” said Culverhouse. “He still has a little pain in there but it is less every day so we are hopeful.”

The trip to Downham, where attendance is capped at 300, is part of the tie-up between the two clubs which, last week, saw Lynn use their ground for training.

“They let us use their pitch in the week just gone as a training pitch, because we haven’t got a training pitch at the moment, so we are nomads, which is a shame because of what we are going into,” said Culverhouse. “To not have a training base or anything like that it is hard, and disappointing really. So we will go there on Tuesday and it will be competitive again.

“It will be exactly the same squad – a few more youngsters will come into it if they haven’t got a game and it will be good test for us over there to get some more minutes under our belts.”