Geoff Butler is closing in on a couple of loan signings to help ease Weymouth chronic injury crisis.
The Terras boss has earmarked a number of players he’s keen to bring to the Wessex Stadium before Monday’s transfer deadline.
But he won’t be hanging around until next week to do the deals – any new faces he manages to pick up will be in the squad for Saturday’s trip to Worcester City.
Butler explained: “I’ve already been chatting to ex-Magpie Jamie Impey (Forest Green), Ben Abbey (Woking) and Paul Moody (unattached) and there a few others I’ve been enquiring about. The board has sanctioned the wages for a couple of loan signings to get us out of our current jam and I’ve every intention of bringing players in.
“The actual transfer deadline is close of play on Monday, but I can’t see the point of waiting until then. If I’m going to get players in on loan then I want to do it this week because that way they’ll be available on Saturday.”
He added: “It’s difficult knowing who to actually go position wise and a lot depends on how long some of injured players are likely to be out. But I’ve got a good idea of what I’m going to do and all I hope now is that I can come to an arrangement with the clubs and players involved.”
As for the Terras crocked list, which now totals six first team regulars, Butler reckons it will be at least a fortnight before any of them are ready for action again.
He said: “Taking them all individually I think the one we won’t see this season is Matthew Hale. It looks certain now that he’ll need surgery on his cruciate ligament and so unfortunately I’ve just about etched him from my plans.
“John Waldock has had an injection in his thigh and is on the mend, but he hasn’t played for a while and so is bound to need at least another couple of weeks.
“David Laws (hamstring) will take between three and six weeks to heal and Mark Robinson (hamstring) could be the same although his doesn’t look as bad as Lawsy’s.”
He added: “Martyn Sullivan has yet to be told exactly what the problem is with his stomach muscles and at best he’ll be out for at least three weeks and Ryan Ashford’s fractured toe will take a minimum of two weeks to get right.”
He continued: “On top of that Phil Andrews has got a suspension looming and so it’s all a bit messy right now.
“If we play as well as we did against Bath on Tuesday then it won’t be a worry, but that would be asking a helluva lot from the players. And the chances of going from now to the end of the season without someone picking up an injury are pretty slim indeed.
“We need bodies and we need them now and hopefully I’ll have some good news in a day or two.”
Meanwhile, Butler has not given up hope that Danny Bailey will again help out as he did against Bath when the Terras travel to Tiverton on Tuesday night.
“Danny’s going to check whether he’s available,” added the manager. “If he is, he’ll play and I should know for sure on that, later today.”
