Ogier left frustrated by fixture congestion

A FRUSTRATED Steve Ogier was yesterday forced into a last minute change in his squad to face Wiltshire after Nathan Pattimore confirmed that he has broken his finger. Channel Islands champions St Martin's are set be without their influential goalkeeper until the new year, but the more immediate problem was for the island manager because his side departs for their second South-West Counties Championship match of the season this evening. The fixture takes place in Melksham tomorrow.

Ogier, who raised fears about his players having to contest Stranger Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night by calling it 'ridiculous', has drafted in Rangers' Chris Parrott as back-up for regular number one Jody Bisson.

'In an ideal world, they would play on the Saturday before in the lead up to a SWCC match and then have no games in the week,' he said.

'It is one of those things - one injury in a specialist position we have to deal with.

'Personally, I have been against having four games even when I was a club coach.'

Pattimore's injury occurred when attempting to take an innocuous looking cross against Vale Rec at the Corbet Field on Wednesday night.

He lost the flight of the ball in the glare of a floodlight and took the impact on the end of his right ring finger.

The 22-year-old went for x-rays yesterday and will have an minor operation today.

'It is the first injury I have had,' said Pattimore.

'Although it is painful now, it did not hurt at the time but I knew I had done something funny because I could not move it.

'They are probably going to have to put a screw in it to try and fix it.

'It takes six to eight weeks for the heeling to take place and it is still going to be a bit after before I can play in goal again,' he added.

Almost inevitably, while Pattimore was picking up his injury, the Bels-North semi-final was going into extra-time at the Track - something Ogier admitted that he 'could have done without'.

'You wonder about tiredness, especially as the pitches get heavier. The players might be a bit jaded.

'Of course, I am talking from a selfish viewpoint,' he said.

*GUERNSEY under-18s will be away to Hampshire in the third round of FA County Youth Cup on Saturday 11 December after the south coast county's 2-0 win at Huntingdonshire.