Colin Slater exclusive: Lanark United gaffer has faced player selection crisis this season

Slater’s men lost 2-1 at St Roch’s in West of Scotland League Conference C last Wednesday night before securing a 1-1 home league draw against Vale of Leven on Saturday to go 11th in the table with four points from five games.

Slater told the Carluke and Lanark Gazette: “We’re struggling a bit with injuries, holidays, coronavirus.

"The first four competitive games, we used 23 different players.

"Big Mark Haddow (Lanark player) was away at his stag do and he’s got coronavirus just now so he’s out.

"We have lost experienced players as well which is crippling us a bit. But, the flip of that is that some of the young guys we are bringing in are getting a wee opportunity and they’re doing well.

“So the priority just now is trying to look after the boys we can get on the park on a Saturday and get on the playing park. That is the priority for the club just now, not who’s managing it or anything like that.”

Referring to Lanark’s recent two matches, Slater added: “It was probably the same tale in both of them, missing some chances.

"We got early injuries at St Roch’s. We brought a guy in from Albion Rovers – Mark Doran – to play right back and he pulled his hamstring 10 minutes in.

"You think you’ve got a good addition in to strengthen things and it crumbles round about you but that’s life.

"And on Saturday Connor McArdle had to go off so that’s two key players we’re losing.

"The boys are giving us the effort and we could have won both those games if we had taken our chances.”

On this Saturday’s league trip to face Ardrossan Winton Rovers, kick-off 2pm, Slater said: “It is a hard place to go.

"They are a good team, it’s a nice set-up there, it’s a nice park.

"We’ve not got a midweek game this week so hopefully it gives us a chance to get a couple of guys back in.

"Midweek games kill it as well.

"There is no recovery time for the guys that have got niggly injuries.”