DORCHESTER Town manager Steve Thompson has described the Magpies’ injury woes as “absolutely terrible” ahead of a trip to Kings Langley in the Evo-Stik Southern League Premier tonight.

Thompson was without the services of five injured players before the 1-1 draw with Chesham United on Saturday, and saw midfielder Luke Winsper pull out in the warm-up after failing to recover from an ankle knock.

Prior to the weekend, Jamie Beasley and Conor Jevon left the county town side, meaning Dorchester were without eight players for the Chesham clash, with the likes of Sam Lanahan, Phil Ormrod, Winsper, Ed Bastick and Chris Clarke all out.

Speaking to Echosport about the situation, the Magpies’ boss admitted it would consequently be “difficult” to stick with the formation he has employed during his tenure.

He said: “The injuries are absolutely terrible at the moment. It’s very difficult when you’re sat there thinking what to do.

“You want to try and stick with the formation that you’ve been playing for the last four of five games because that’s what you’ve been working on, but it’s very, very difficult.

“It doesn’t help when you’ve got so many players out, which we have at the moment.”

Thompson then spoke of the “boost” Kyle Egan’s last-gasp equaliser gave the Magpies in the midst of the injury predicament.

He said: “It gives the lads a massive boost and we need a boost, not through the results because we had a great boost with the 7-2 result against Gosport.

“But it’s been a blow to lose so many players in the last few games, and those players were playing in the team. It’s tough going.

“We’ve also obviously lost two players that have left the club, so in effect we had eight players less to choose from than we have had in other weeks.”

But Thompson said he was close to pulling off a signing from an unnamed League One club before the weekend, adding that the deal collapsed due to the player’s agent stepping in.

“I just want some players back! I was very close to bringing in a player. I wanted it, the League One club were happy for it to happen.

“But unfortunately as is often the case these days, the player’s agent felt he was too good for this level, which annoys me because he could learn such a lot coming and playing at this level.

“Danny Ings wasn’t too good for this level, was he? It annoys me, but I won’t name the club concerned because their coaching staff were very supportive of him coming in.

“It’s just agents again. They can be a scourge at times. But at the end of the day the player as well has to make that decision, so the player and the agent decided not to come, which was a blow,” he said.

Thompson is also wary of the shortage of players limiting the “options” he has available to him.

“We were down to the bare bones in many ways and it limits what you can do because you know what certain types of player can do.

“It limits the options you have as a manager. For example, three of my subs (on Saturday) were central midfielders. I was limited in forward positions and in defensive positions,” he said.

Kings Langley currently sit one place and five points behind the Magpies having lost four of their previous five league games.