GJ SINGH may be down on numbers for this weekend’s cup clash against Worcester Raiders but the Barnt Green Spartak boss is confident in his squad’s ability to progress.
The Lions gaffer has no goalkeeper for Saturday’s Smedley Crooke Memorial Charity Cup clash as it stands after Callum Martin was forced off at half-time in the 6-1 defeat to Coton Green last Saturday in Midlands Two.
Singh is also without Joe Hawkins and skipper Mark Steele who are both away as well as the injured trio of Nathaniel Hare, Stefan Gordon and Ryan Frogatt who was also injured in the Coton Green game.
However, Joe Sims (suspension) and James Karanicolas (hamstring) look set to return alongside Aldin Kahriman.
Having been knocked out of two competitions already this season, Singh told the Standard he wants a cup run so the players have something to focus on, on top of their league duties.
“If we have three or four defeats in a row in the league, we could end up in mid-table and playing for nothing,” he said.
“If we have cup runs then it gives the players something to fight for so even though we only have the Smedley and the Birmingham Vase left, I want us to go as far as we can in those competitions.
“We got to the final of the Smedley last year and it’d be great to be there again for when we hit the business end of the season.
“It’s not ideal that we’ve got so many players unavailable for the Worcester Raiders game but there’s some coming back into the fold so I know we’ll have a competitive side out on the pitch.
“We’ve played Worcester before over the years and we know it’s a big test for us but that’s football.”