Brackley Town crisis worsens as Saints approach double-header with just TWO available defenders
Andy Whing has a huge selection headache this weekend as he is likely to have only two out-and-out defenders to choose from for the Bank Holiday double-header.
Brackley Town play host to South Shields this Saturday before making the trip to Chorley just two days later.
Even with a fully-fit squad, playing twice in three days is far from optimal, with strong rotation desired. But Whing is in a position where he probably cannot chop and change at all.
The Saints were already short for last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Macclesfield, with a host of players out with injuries. But two red cards really exacerbated the issue.
Right-back Kieran Coates is banned for both the South Shields and Chorley fixtures after seeing straight red for a studded challenge above a Macclesfield player’s ankle.
Meanwhile, centre-half Josh Tomlinson is suspended for one match after being sent off for two bookable offences in the same game as Coates’ red.
Captain Kyle Morrison has been out with a long-term injury for a while and he will continue to recover behind the scenes.
Then, the other first-choice centre-back, Will Armitage, has been sidelined with an ankle issue after making a big impact following his arrival from Southampton.
Even midfielder and vice captain Charlie Cooper, who briefly filled in at centre-back at the start of the season, has been out injured for the past two games.
That leaves manager Whing with left-back George Harmon and centre-half Tom Fogarty as the only defenders fully available to be in his matchday squads this weekend.
Ironically, Fogarty is actually only with Brackley on a one-month loan from Tamworth, so he could also be off in the not-too-distant future.
One possible way around it could be utilising midfielder Kai Lissimore at right-back, as he played well there in pre-season.
Then, at centre-back, it’s anyone’s guess as to who could fill in. Midfielder Ewan Williams might be the best placed, but it’s far from an ideal situation.
There’s a chance Whing decides to rush one of his injured defenders back, but doing that could itself create new and deeper problems.