Goalkeeping worries for Elgin

ILLNESS and injury has left Elgin City manager Ross Jack with a goalkeeping crisis ahead of their midweek trip to Clyde.

Keeper Zander Clark is a doubt for Elgin. Photo by Bob Crombie.

Regular number one Zander Clark was forced to play in Saturday's 3-0 win over Alloa despite suffering from the effects of sickness and diarrhoea.

His deputy John Calder was set to be drafted into the starting line-up when he hurt his ankle in the warm-up and had to pull out.

With both struggling to make the visit to Cumbernauld on Tuesday, youth keeper Stuart Black has been called into the squad.

"John's off to see the doctor to get a precautionary x-ray, while Zander has been ill all weekend," Ross revealed.

"He could barely see the ball in the warm-up on Saturday and I was all ready to tell the ref I needed to make a change to my starting line-up when John got injured.

"His ankle was swollen up like a football so he couldn't play, and Zander was forced to go out there when he was ill."

Elgin go to Broadwood looking to break their duck against Clyde, a team they haven't beaten in five attempts in Scottish League football.

Jim Duffy's side are the only one of City's Division 3 rivals to win at Borough Briggs this season, with an impressive 3-0 victory in September.

But with the Moray men comfortably beating Peterhead and Alloa at home in the past seven days to raise morale in the camp, Jack wants his squad to maintain their momentum.

"It's a tough one at Cumbernauld against a Clyde side that's very sticky at home. We know we might need to bide our time before we break them down as they don't give much away.

"But if we can keep creating chances like we are at the moment and manage to take them, its a great chance to keep our run going."

Graeme Beveridge, who missed the Alloa win due to an ankle injury, is once more a doubt, while Mark Nicolson and Paul Millar are both carrying injuries but are likely to be patched up for action.

A win for Elgin would take them to within two points of the Division 3 play-offs zone, with a game in hand over nearest rivals Annan, who they still have to play twice at home over the coming weeks.

See Friday's Northern Scot for the latest Elgin City news.