Three more players are ruled out of the important clash at QPR at the weekend. The latest casualties are Tony Carss, Julien Baudet and Will Haining. Carss (pictured) was sent for x-rays after the Carlisle game and is suspected of having damaged ankle ligaments. He had just won back his place after suffering from the same ailment for most of last season. The result could mean that Carss will be missing for at least a month. Baudet tore a hamstring and could be missing for up to six weeks, a disaster for him as he would probably have started at QPR. Haining was also forced to limp off with a hamstring strain in the Carlisle game which will mean at least two weeks of recovery.
Athletic are already without the services of David Beharall, Matty Appleby, Paul Murray, Josh Low, Clyde Wijnhard and Wayne Gill, although Low and Murray came through unscathed at Macclesfield for the reserves. A disgruntled Dowie commented, “We are having a really bad time at the moment. We work on flexibility but you just can’t legislate for these things.”