WORCESTER City winger Nick Colley will not travel to Tamworth for tonight's GLS Cup third round tie to avoid potential confrontation with home fans (7.45).

Colley caused much-publicised controversy at the Staffordshire club back in 2003 after falsely claiming he was suffering from stomach cancer.

The claim was later exposed as a lie and the 30-year-old wideman, who blamed severe depression for his situation, was sacked by Tamworth and told by officials at the time that he was unwelcome back at The Lamb.

Colley has admitted to getting his personal life and career back on track after joining City last summer, and he has become a favourite among fans at St George's Lane with his improving performances on the right wing.

But despite his influence on the pitch, City's officials believe it is common sense to leave Colley at home for tonight's clash.

City chairman Dave Boddy said the decision to leave Colley behind was taken several weeks ago during a private discussion with the player and recently-departed boss John Barton.

Boddy said: "We decided some weeks ago that Nick would not play in the game at Tamworth. What we've got is a very important game and we want to concentrate on winning the football match. What we don't want is any distractions."

Despite the loss of Colley, caretaker-manager John Snape is poised to give debuts to two players in the formerly named National Conference Cup, provided they get clearance from football authorities.

Latvian international midfielder Alex Volosanovs, capped 26 times for his country, arrives on trial after a successful stint at West Midlands League Premier Division outfit Ledbury.

Defender Matt Gardiner, who had a short spell at City during the 2001/02 season, has also been registered after leaving fellow Nationwide North club Redditch United.

Centre-half Colin Hoyle returns after missing Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Harrogate Town, while former Tamworth full-back Rob Warner is a doubt with illness. Shabir Khan (groin) and Les Hines (calf) are both out, so youth player Ashley Edwards could get a surprise chance at left-back.

Teenagers Dean Clarke, Luke Whittington and Matt Atkinson are other youth development players making the trip.