Fleet boss Liam Daish is still on the prowl for players to boost his squad.
Having recaptured cult hero Ross Smith after the Canadian defender’s health problems, Daish has been hard at work seeking where best to direct his budget boost courtesy of MyFC members.
Earlier this week he approached two Football League clubs with regard to taking two strikers on loan. One of those deals, for Shrewsbury Town’s ex-Brentford frontman Nathan Elder, has fallen through, but the other offer remains on the table. No conclusion has as yet been reached.
Daish also watched Reading reserves and a game at Dagenham in midweek as he continues to monitor available players.
Ahead of the trip to York, Leon Crooks will serve his one match suspension, possibly providing Smith with the ideal opportunity to stake his claim for a defensive berth.
On the injury front, Davis Abbey’s knee problem will keep him out while Clint Easton has a 70% chance of recovering from his hamstring injury in time. Jordan Collins and Paul McCarthy are still struggling to reach full fitness.
Jamie Forshaw has returned from his loan spell at Ashford (while Steven Springett has extended his), so Forshaw will be in contention for selection, while Peter Holmes will hope to start against the club he spent time on loan with last season.
For York, ex-Fleet striker Michael Gash is still out through injury but the sixth-placed side’s Richard Brodie is in sparkling form, having scored 14 goals already this season to make him the division’s joint top scorer. Midfielder Neil Barrett, no stranger of course to Fleet fans, will also likely start for Martin Foyle’s side. Defender Djoumin Sangare is also injured.
The Fleet will be looking to avoid equalling two unwanted records – one, for the longest run of league games without scoring, five goalless matches having been endured in 1985-86, 1990-91 and 1994-95; and two, the longest goalless run in all competitions, the record currently standing at six (1987-88). Should Daish land his striker target before Saturday, that player will likely start alongside Magno Vieira against a York defence that has conceded 21 goals this season.
