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WORCESTER City are facing an injury headache for today's visit of Alfreton Town (3pm).

Manager Richard Dryden could be without at least five players for the Blue Square North clash at St George's Lane.

Troy Wood, George Clegg and Graham Ward are almost certain to miss out, while there are significant doubts over captain Chris Smith and Jamie Price.

Wood was due to have an X-ray on his ankle yesterday after being carried off just before half-time in Saturday's 1-0 setback at Stalybridge Celtic.

Clegg looks set to once again miss out with the Achilles injury that forced him off during the home match against Tamworth and Ward has medial ligament damage.

Smith (back) and Price (thigh) were both replaced at half-time at Bower Fold, giving Dryden a selection problem.

Mark Danks and Shabir Khan, used as substitutes at the weekend, could come in but both are still on their way back from lengthy spells on the sidelines.

City boss Dryden said: "With the injuries, it doesn't take Einstein to work out we'll have to have changes.

"We are going to have a lot of injuries so I'll sit down and see what we're like but I think we'll be lucky if any of the three who came off on Saturday will be available."

He added: "The players were a bit down after the game on Saturday but we'll get set up for Monday.

"It will be a big, strong physical match I should think so we might have to chop and change the formation.

"It was a hard game on Saturday. The lads are tired and with the extra-time last Monday it's like another third of a game as well.

"But when I was playing I would rather play games than train. I think most of the lads are like that here so we'll get ready, see what we've got, get patched up and give it a go."

City will be aiming to make it eight unbeaten at the Lane since the turn of the year in a match that will also see Ryan Clarke and Emeka Nwadike up against their former employers.

Alfreton, 15th in the table, have won just one of their last 10 league matches but will be buoyed by the September meeting between the sides when City lost 3-1 in Derbyshire despite playing against 10 men for the majority of the contest.

"It's like me and Tamworth," Dryden said. "For Macca and Clarkey there'll be an extra bit of an edge there.

"They'll want to win the game just as much as us and hopefully if we can get a foothold in the game and play like we have done at home in the last few games we'll go on to win the match."

7:45am Monday 24th March 2008

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