Eastleigh are forced to throw in the youngsters

By Wendy Gee -

EASTLEIGH could be without as many as seven players for tomorrow's Blue Square Bet South visit of Bromley.

Jamie Brown and on-loan Reading full-back Frankie Raymond launch into three-match suspensions and hamstring victim Danny Smith has joined Ryan O'Hara and Ross Bottomley on the injury list.

There are also serious concerns about Andy Forbes and Richard Gillespie, who have been unable to train this week. Forbes is struggling with a tight hamstring and Gillespie is still under the weather after bowing out midway through Monday's 2-1 win over Weston-super-Mare with flu-like symptoms.

With only inexperienced, young players as back-up, Baird had warned before the season began that the Spitfires could find themselves up against it if they lost too many senior players.

"Tomorrow is going to be interesting to say the least," said Baird. "But I'm looking forward to it.

"It looks as if we're going to have seven or eight youngsters in the squad with Jordace Holder-Spooner, Sam and Ben Wilson, Adam Cashin-Murray, Billy Tsovolos, Jack Vallis and the Aldershot lad Henrik Breimyr who's only 18."

Eastleigh's squad may also include 19-year-old Mark Cooper, a left-sided defender from Melksham, Wiltshire, who came through Bristol Rovers' youth ranks via the Bristol Academy of Sport.

He first featured in a matchday squad for Rovers in November 2009 as an unused sub in their 3-2 FA Cup defeat by Southampton. He had several more appearances on the bench but was never called upon to play and was released by the Pirates at the beginning of April.

Cooper saw out the season with Frome Town and featured in their Southern One South & West play-off final victory at Sholing.

"I watched Mark play for our reserves last Saturday and he did well," said Baird. "His agent had been on the phone to me for quite a while."

Being stripped of senior players is not ideal against eighth-placed Bromley, but Baird said: "To be fair I expected it considering we've played six games in a short space of time.

"I can't rotate the squad like other teams, so all our senior players have played virtually every minute of every game which is a big ask in this day and age.

"I can't get loan players in because we've already got Frankie Raymond and Henrik Breimyr and the maximum is two at any time.

"There's a very small amount of money available, but, locally, all the best players are tied up.

"I don't know what side I'll put out tomorrow, but it looks as though (striker) Jamie Slabber, who's more of a utility player these days, will play in midfield and we'll have 20-year-old Andrew White (who celebrated his birthday this week) and 16-year-old Sam Wilson up front."