Harrogate Railway manager Mick O’Connell is frustrated at losing Joe Chisholm and wing wizard Rob Youhill to lengthly injury lay-offs.
Railway’s right-winger Youhill, the club’s marquee summer signing, is out for the longest period with a dislocated ankle.
He sustained the injury in the defeat to Knaresborough Town two weeks ago and he had to undergo an operation which took place during the Euro 2020 Final.
Chisholm replaced him in the side, but now the youngster faces his own personal spell on the treatment table after going home with dislocated shoulder in the win at Ilkley Town on Tuesday night.
O’Connell lays the blame at the door of the two sets of match officials as he feels the injuries were avoidable.
“The first one was Rob Youhill which is gutting and I’ll be honest, I blame poor refereeing for both of them,” O’Connell told Non League Yorkshire.
“Josh Freeman got caught late ten minutes prior to the Rob Youhill one and he got a cut from the top of his knee down to his ankle.
“The referee never gave anything and it got very scrappy and there was a lot of late challenges.
“I asked (the referee) three times to sort it out because it was pre-season and we didn’t want anybody getting injured.
“Rob went past someone and got his cross in, but the player went through his standing leg and Rob dislocated his ankle.
“We don’t know the extent of the damage, but he could be out for six to nine months.
“The referee could have stopped (the late challenges) after the Josh Freeman tackle, but it went on and things boiled and boiled.
“Referees don’t want to show yellow cards in friendlies.
“Then with Joe Chisholm at Ilkley, it was the seventh time he had got the ball one v one and gone past someone and they either dragged him back or they fouled him.
“He went past the player with two minutes to go and he got booted.
“He’s dislocated his shoulder and he could be out for three months.
“They are massive blows which could have been avoided.”
The pair join the short-term absentee list which includes Danny Ward, Kieran Greenway, Adam Shaw and Aodhan Brownlee and a few others who have been missing for various reasons such as injury or because they are isolating.
It means Railway are fairly threadbare for the Friday friendly with Bishop Auckland at Station View.
“We only have 13 players available for tomorrow so we’re going to have bring in a few reserve players,” he said.
“(All clubs are in) the same boat though.
“We were quite happy with things, but now everything has gone Pete Tong with injuries, isolations so we’re looking for a holding midfielder and possibly another right-winger.
“We had moved Joe Chisholm up to right wing (to replace Youhill) from full-back because of his pace and now he’s out.
“I said to (assistant manager) Josh Walsh the other day that the next player we need to get shot of we’ll have to play them on the right-wing.”
Railway begin the Toolstation NCEL Division One season with the home game with Swallownest on July 31st.