Influential Shots captain Steve Watson will miss six weeks after being told he needs an operation on a groin injury, with surgery scheduled for next Wednesday. After hip surgery in the summer Watson has struggled for fitness this season as the Shots have slumped to the bottom of the table, but this latest blow will test manager Terry Brown's ability to juggle his already stretched squad.
Brown admits he is under pressure to produce results, telling the BBC: "There is a considerable amount of pressure and it is my job to take it off the players. I'm glad this is not my first year or my first job in management. If it was then the pressure would be unbearable. The fact I have been managing for 17 or 18 years gives me the confidence to handle the situation. If we are the worst team in the Conference at moment then it is not a bad league."
Brown confirmed that John Brough was finally on the verge of making an impression on the first team after playing just fourteen minutes of league football since joining the club in June. His return to contention comes as defender Scott Guyett's loan spell from Yeovil ends this weekend, and striker Chris McPhee's two month stay on loan ended this week.
Shots chairman Karl Prentice still believes the club can make the play-offs for the third successive season: "There's still a long way to go and I know it's a tall order but I want to get to the Play-Offs, and I think we can still make it." He also backed Terry Brown as the right man to sort the early season form out: "As far as my board and myself are concerned, our views have not changed since he's been in charge, he has always always had our support. Hopefully Terry will get us rising up the table, this is when he needs our support the most. The quality of personnel we've got in there is as good as anything in this League and hopefully we'll turn the corner."