Chelmsford City v Basingstoke TownTonight 7.45pmCITY'S preparations for the visit of struggling Basingstoke Town tonight have been rocked by the new that new full-back, Erkan Okay, will miss the remainder of the season with a hairline fracture to his lower leg.

Chelmsford City v Basingstoke Town

Tonight 7.45pm

CITY'S preparations for the visit of struggling Basingstoke Town tonight have been rocked by the new that new full-back, Erkan Okay, will miss the remainder of the season with a hairline fracture to his lower leg.

The former Histon defender discovered the extent of the injury at the weekend during the training session the Clarets scheduled for their matchless Saturday, and Head Coach Glenn Pennyfather explained it was tough news to take: “Erkan remembers one particular challenge in the Maidenhead game which could have done the damage, but it didn't show-up until twenty minutes into Saturday's training.

He couldn't put weight on it anymore so we got it x-rayed which revealed he had a fracture.”

Okay joins fellow defenders Steve Ward and Chris Duffy on the treatment table who have a torn hamstring and a fractured tibia respectively, with Duffy also sidelined for the rest of the campaign. However, apart from this missing trio, Pennyfather expects to have the majority if not all of the squad available for Jeff King and himself to choose from against the Hampshire outfit. “I think the players have benefitted from the extra rest, although we did train on Saturday. It gave us a little more time to get as many people fit as possible and all of the niggling injuries we had seem to have passed,” he added.

Basingstoke come into the game just three places above the drop-zone but with three unexpected points in the bag from their meeting at play-off hunting Maidenhead United at the weekend.

Despite their lowly position, Glenn knows the squad won't take their opposition lightly, stating: “Basingstoke seemed to have one good result then one bad one, but they have certainly put together a few good ones of late, including that one at Maidenhead. It sometimes feels like we're always coming-up against teams with everything to play for, whether that be a place in the play-offs or if they're struggling for their lives like Basingstoke.”

Victory would also be particularly welcome at a time when Chelmsford are preparing for a trip to second-placed Hampton & Richmond Borough next Saturday, a game Pennyfather believes could be all-important to their season: “Without a doubt we want to win this game so it puts us in the best possible shape for the Hampton match.

“We always take one game at a time but we're also aware of what's coming-up and three more points would do our confidence the world of good.”