Sheppey United take on Ashford United this Saturday in the midst of an injury crisis.

Manager Ernie Batten has already been forced to switch formation to cope with the lack of options and was chasing a striker’s signature in the week to help their cause.

Captain Danny Leonard and midfielder James Taylor were added to the injury list at the weekend, in a goalless draw at Lancing.

“We really are up against it,” admitted Ites boss Batten, who has still kept the team fighting among the Isthmian South East play-off contenders.

“We haven’t got the biggest squad, we have a lot of youngsters and we have a bit of an injury crisis at the moment, I have never known so many injuries.”

The likes of Joe Ganiwa, Jordy Ndozid and Harrison McCall are missing and striker Dan Carr remains on the long-term list, awaiting a knee operation that could keep him out for the remainder of the season.

Losing Leonard and Taylor was the last thing Batten needed.

He said: “Danny Leonard pulled a hamstring and so could be out for a month and JT’s got a calf injury and that could be a couple of weeks.

“We’re going to be really short on Saturday.

“Despite the injuries, we have still been managing to get results but we’re punching a little bit above our weight, because we have quite a limited squad.

“I don’t like to keep talking about budgets, it is the business of each club what they do, but we are living within our means and doing okay.

“We have to work within our budget, which is very modest, but it’s quite good that we are still in fifth place and we have those constraints.”

Sheppey added former Met Police, Carshalton and Staines midfielder David Opoku to their squad last week. He was an unused substitute against Lancing.

Batten said: “He hasn’t played for a couple of seasons but he has a background of playing in the Isthmian. We are also hoping to sign a striker this week but that is down to paperwork and a few other things.”

Looking ahead to the weekend match against Ashford, Batten said: “They haven’t had the best of seasons so far - Danny Kedwell (their manager) knows that - but they have had some good recent results. I always knew they would turn the corner because they have a good squad and they are bound to come good.

“It will be a difficult game for us with our current injury crisis but we will put the best team we can out and then it is down to performance on the day.

“We have been managing to cover it and we have had to change our shape because of it.”

Reverting to a 3-5-2 has actually helped Sheppey stay more solid, with three clean sheets in succession, a welcome bonus for the manager.

Batten said: “It has secured us a bit more and we’ve still been able to play our football. It has worked out for us so far. We might not stay like that but with the squad we’ve got we’ve been able to do that.

“What I would congratulate is the players. They have worked extremely hard.

“There are a number of clubs who have gone to one training session a week but our lads are training twice a week and are in three times, including a Saturday, come rain or shine and I think that’s another reason we are doing okay. They are committed to it.”