DORCHESTER Town manager Steve Thompson believes he has “limited” options ahead of the Magpies’ Evo-Stik Southern League Premier clash with Stratford Town at the Avenue Stadium tonight (7.45pm).

A total of eight first-team players were missing during Dorchester’s 3-1 defeat to Royston Town on Saturday, while Gary Bowles is set for a suspension after being sent off at Garden Walk.

Speaking to Echosport ahead of the match, Thompson expects a “tough game” against Stratford having failed to win in their past three matches.

He said: “Obviously I’ve got to put a lot of thought in, some players have run themselves into the ground.

“I may be very limited in my options, so I may not have too many changes to make. I think any game we’re going to play at the moment is going to be a tough game.

“When things are not going well you expect a tough game. Easy games don’t exist unless you’re very good and we’re certainly not that.

“I have to look at the options now and make some decisions. I don’t know how many I have to make until we get some players to choose from.”

In addition to long-term injury absentees Ollie Griggs (pubis bone) and Luke Winsper (knee), Dorchester were further hampered by losing Aaron Rodriguez (tonsillitis), Mo Baghdadi and Kyle Egan (both sickness) for the Royston game.

And Thompson believed his side had been “undone” by a “poor decision” from skipper Bowles which led to his sending off against the Crows when level at 1-1.

He said: “We were up against it. We had eight players out through injury or sickness. Credit to the lads, they started very well and we were much the better team and went 1-0 up. It should have been two or three.

“They came back into it and had a good spell before half-time and got a goal. But we have been undone by a poor decision by Gary.

“He decided to take a player out and got the red card. We were always up against it after that. I thought it was a poor decision to bring him down deliberately. It’s a costly mistake.”

From the resultant free-kick Josh Osinyan put Royston ahead, but centre-back Ross Carmichael was momentarily off the pitch receiving treatment, meaning the Magpies defended the set-piece with just nine men.

Thompson said: “It was disappointing because when you get treatment you’ve got to come off the pitch. It was a bad break of luck really but the decision has cost us in the end.

“It’s given the free-kick away and cost us the second – it’s a double-whammy. The guy that came on was six foot six and he was always going to be a threat and he got the two goals.”

Bowles, who apologised to his clubmates after the match, is expected to miss three games but Thompson did see positives during the defeat, which saw Bournemouth loanee winger Antonio Diaz make his debut.

He said: “For the first half I was (pleased). The first 30 minutes was on a par with probably the first 30 against Kettering, and we got the goal which was a bonus, but you don’t win a game by having a good first 30.

“Antonio did well on his debut and contributed well, but it’s hard to give positives when you’ve been beaten 3-1.”

* Dorchester Town Reserves lost 1-0 to Merley Cobham Sports in the Dorset Senior Trophy