Luckless Hawks’ injury crisis shows no sign of clearing up any time soon

Ross Worner, Manny Adebowale and Alex Wall all missed last Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Charlton.

Sam Magri (knee) and Leon Chambers-Parillon (calf) were forced off during the second half at The Valley, and Jamie Collins and Scott Rendell went off in the first 20 minutes of Tuesday’s National League South win at Tonbridge Angels.

Magri is due to find out the severity of his injury on Friday, after undergoing an MRI scan on Tuesday, but Hawks boss Paul Doswell is fearing months on the sidelines.

Collins is definitely out of this weekend’s home clash with Maidstone while a third centre half, Crawley loanee Adebowale, is still a fortnight or so away from returning from a groin injury.

Rendell went to hospital on Tuesday with a rib injury, and could be sidelined for three or four weeks.

Doswell doesn’t expect Worner - who has three hip tears and a meniscus tear - to be available until January; Wall is unlikely to be fit until mid-December; and Benny Read, who hasn’t played all season following a shoulder op and a hamstring injury, could return to training within a fortnight.

Elsewhere, midfielder Godfrey Poku - a forgotten figure in some ways following his ACL injury last February - could well miss the whole of this season.

The only bright news this week on the injury front is that Chambers-Parillon should be fit to face Maidstone, if required, after parent club Oxford United said they didn’t want him playing at Tonbridge.

‘I’ve been a manager for around 1,500 games and I’m struggling to think of anything as bad as this,’ stated Doswell.

‘We’ve got three centre halves out now, bearing in mind that was one area we were looking strong in.’

Paul Rooney slotted into central defence on Tonbridge after Collins went off, though he is not fully fit due to tendonitis. ‘He hasn’t been able to train properly,’ reported Doswell.

Suspensions have also hampered team selection. Midfielder Billy Clifford returned to the starting XI at Tonbridge after missing the Charlton game due to a one-match ban. Summing up Hawks’ recent luck, he promptly picked up a fifth booking of the season and will now miss the trip to Braintree on November 20!

James Roberts and Rooney are also walking a disciplinary tightrope on four bookings - a fifth will trigger a one-game ban.

Striker Tommy Wright is available to face Maidstone after serving a three-match ban for a harsh red card when Hawks were last at home, against Slough on October 23. In his absence, they have still won twice away in the league - at Chelmsford and Tonbridge - to haul themselves into the play-off zone.

Rendell’s injury, though, means Wright and Roberts are the only two strikers available at present.

In addition to his own injury list, Doswell has also been frustrated in his bid to bring in loan singings. He had two lined up from League 1 clubs, only for the players to suddenly pick up injuries. Hawks have three loans currently – keeper Will Mannion, Adebowale and Chambers-Parillon – but league rules state up to five can be included in any matchday squad.

Maidstone, meanwhile, started their league season with five wins and two draws in their opening seven matches.

Since then, though, they have only picked up one point in five outings - from a 0-0 draw at Dulwich Hamlet. They also crashed out of the FA Cup at the third qualifying round stage in early October.

Maidstone have only scored twice in those six games, both in a 3-2 loss at Hungerford when Ryan Seager completed his hat-trick with a 90th minute winner.

The Stones’ last three four home outings have all ended in defeat - against Dartford (FA Cup, 3-0), Eastbourne (2-0), Dorking (2-0) and Slough Town (1-0).

Doswell knows they are still dangerous opposition, though.

Spanish striker Joan Luque has scored seven league goals so far while the Stones could also field a familiar face in ex-Hawks winger Roarie Deacon. Jermaine McGlashan, a veteran of over 300 EFL appearances, and former Hawks striker Alfie Pavey are other forward options.

Millwall U23 keeper Ryan Sandford was handed a debut against Slough last week, while right-back George Fowler is on loan from Aldershot.

Midfielder Regan Booty remains suspended after a recent red card at Hungerford.