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Archived News from September 2002

KEEPER HUNT
23rd September 2002 17:15


Keeper hunt for Watkiss
CHAD website
Mansfield manager Stuart Watkiss is urgently looking for a goalkeeper before Saturday's trip to Northampton after Kevin Pilkington was ruled out for six weeks with a broken wrist.
But there was at least much brighter news about striker Iyseden Christie who has an outside chance of playing on Saturday after his foot injury made a dramatic improvement over the weekend.
Pilkington hurt his hand landing awkwardly in Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Cheltenham while Christie damaged ligaments and a tendon in his foot in training on Friday after getting his foot caught in the turf.
"Iyseden is not as bad as we first feared and if he carries on like this he could be back in training by Thursday which would put him in contention for the weekend," said physio Barry Statham.
However, a keeper is the main priority and Watkiss said: "Obviously I have a short list. But there are plenty of good keepers out there, some at Premiership clubs or big First Division clubs and others who are out of contract, some with a lot of experience."
Depending on Christie's foot, Watkiss could be without the services of 12 players and is hoping he can maybe bring in a combative midfield ball-winner as well along with, possibly, a striker.
"Costs will come into it as you do still have to pay the wages of the players that are injured and quite rightly so when they have injured themselves playing for Mansfield Town," he said.
"Loan players then have to be added on to the wage bill on top.
"From the players we have out you could field a pretty good team, particularly defensively."
The current sorry tale reads: Kevin Pilkington (six weeks - broken wrist); Michael Bingham (three weeks - knee); Allen Tankard (back of knee - two to three weeks); Bobby Hassell (knee - two weeks), Peter Clark (back of knee - two weeks); Dave Jervis (foot - two to three weeks), Dion Scott (shoulder - 10 weeks), Michael Sisson (cruciate ligaments - three months); Shayne Bradley (ankle - three weeks), Iyseden Christie (foot - two to three weeks), Danny Bacon (two more games suspension to serve), Lee Williamson (three games suspension starting on Saturday).

 

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