MALVERN Town are preparing for life without Joe Endacott and Bryan Craven as the injured pair look set to miss the rest of this season.
Influential centre back Endacott damaged his ankle during Malvern’s 6-0 defeat to high-flying Sporting Khalsa on December 20.
Manager Les Jones said the former club captain was set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines along with top scorer Craven, who has yet to begin rehabilitation after undergoing an operation on his knee last month.
Despite the double blow, Jones believes his side are good enough to cope without the influential duo in the West Midlands Regional League.
“Joe has badly damaged his ankle, so I think the earliest we can expect to see him back is in the last few games of the season and that’s if it heals really quickly,” Jones said.
“But it was a nasty injury as he has torn some ligaments and got a couple of fractures in his ankle.
“Bryan might be back before the end of the season, but we will just have to plan without them and if they come back it would be a bonus.
“Joe is a 6ft 6in centre back and is dominant in the air which is what you need in this league. But we have got a really good squad now, with Jamie Smith, Aaron Richards, Chris Allen and Dene Whittal-Williams all capable of filling his shoes.”