COWDENBEATH boss Dougie Hill may have to use trialists to get a team out for this Saturday’s Lowland League match with Caledonian Braves.

The visitors are sitting fourth in the table and an already tough assignment at Central Park looks more of a challenge with the Blue Brazil likely to be short of at least six players through injury.

Current long-term absentees, Euan MacPherson, Matty McDonald and Aiden McLaughlin have been joined in the treatment room by Euan’s brother Greg, who was injured in last Tuesday night’s SPFL Trophy win at Albion Rovers, sustaining a severe ankle sprain.

And on Saturday on-loan striker Jake Sutherland picked up a wrist injury and will likely be out this week.

Hill is struggling to comprehend the tough hand his team have been dealt in the midst of a congested fixture list with the Blues playing eight matches in August.

“To lose Greg, and the possibility of Jake also being out this weekend, is really testing the squad,” he said.

“It could be I will have to call in a few trialists to give us a 15 or 16 man squad for the Braves game.”

And Hill did not rule out having to pull on the boots himself as the squad is down to the bare bones.

Cowden lost 4-1 at home to East Kilbride on Saturday and the manager wasn't happy with some of the goals they conceded against the title chasers.

“The first two were from free-kicks which went through our defensive wall, and the second-half goals were also in the avoidable bracket,” he said.

“We came back into the game just after half-time by scoring a good goal, and were looking capable of getting an equaliser when we lost another goal which could have been avoided, so that was a really disappointing aspect of the performance.

“We have to try to defend better than that, but admittedly things are not easy for us at the moment, having lot of players suffering injuries.

“But we have another two games this week which we want to win, and that will be our aim.”