STUART Whitehead is facing a spell on the sidelines after becoming the latest casualty on Worcester City’s lengthening injury list.

The skipper pulled up just half-an-hour into Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Workington with a suspected quad muscle problem and had to be stretchered off.

He is almost certainly out of tomorrow night’s trip to Guiseley but City will hope he is fit for their next game at Chester on Saturday, December 1.

It has left City depleted at centre-half with Jacob Rowe missing the Workington match through illness and Shabir Khan on international duty with Pakistan, while Lee Ayres played despite two broken ribs.

Worcester are also without strikers Danny Glover (Achilles) and Michael Taylor (hamstring) as well as midfielder Matt Birley (knee).

Manager Carl Heeley, who was only able to name four subs at the weekend because left-back Ellis Deeney was also suspended, said: “We’ve got a reasonable-sized squad but, just at the moment, the injuries and unavailability are catastrophic.

“They are key players so we are limited to what we can do. That’s why you need a squad. We could have 14 players and not be able to field a team but we’ll get through it and it will get better after tomorrow.

“The players who are available are good, we can’t forget that. There have been worse situations than this.

“We went to Dover (in 2010) with 12 players and I had to sit on the bench and come on myself but we got a great result there. It’s about team-work and sticking together.”

Meanwhile, Heeley revealed his gratitude to the clubs City have talked to about possible ground-share deals. Evesham United, Bromsgrove Sporting and Kidderminster Harriers have all been considered by the Blue Square Bet North club as potential venues for when they leave the Lane next year.

Fans attended a meeting about the move following the Workington game and a decision is due to be announced by the board shortly.

Heeley said: “It’s refreshing that our neighbours — Evesham, Bromsgrove and Kidderminster — are all willing to help and some of them have been bitter, fierce rivals over the years.

“That’s the football family and I’m really appreciative that they’ve all offered us help. That gives me and the players the desire to carry on which was never in question.

“We’ve been helpful to Evesham over the years, we didn’t want to see them homeless or without a facility to play.

“It would have been a bit of a kick in the teeth had people turned their backs on us but they haven’t and we’re appreciative of their willingness to help.”