BOSS Tom Killick fears Keith Emmerson could miss the rest of Poole Town's promotion push after suffering another injury setback.

Emmerson, who is primarily a left-back but can play in a variety of positions, felt discomfort in his ankle ligaments while out running on Wednesday and will undergo a scan in an effort to get to the bottom of the issue.

A key cog in the Dolphins side that earned promotion from Division One South & West last term, Emmerson’s absence for tomorrow's Southern Premier fixture at AFC Totton – and possibly the remainder of 2013-14 – will be keenly felt.

Killick admitted he was in the dark over the length of Emmerson’s absence but confirmed that the utility player, who has regular army commitments, would not make a swift return to action.

The Tatnam boss told the Daily Echo: “It looks like Keith Emmerson is going to be out for longer than we originally thought, perhaps for the rest of the season.

“On Wednesday he went out for a run but it’s still affecting him, so the army are sending him for a scan to find out the extent of it.

“I don’t know what the medium or long-term diagnosis is, but short-term he won’t play.”

Dolphins were last night due to entertain fellow play-off chasers Stourbridge ahead of the Totton clash.

But while the Testwood Stadium outfit might be third-bottom and in serious danger of the drop, Killick is taking nothing for granted.

He said: “The league table doesn’t necessarily reflect Totton’s current ability as a team because they started the season with no players and all sorts of difficulties.

“Their manager had to build a team from scratch and early on their results were poor, but on current form they are at least a mid-table side.”

Dolphins: (from): Thomas, Burbidge, Martin, Wannell, Whisken, Brooks, Davies, Devlin, Gillespie, Chiedozie, Elliott, Preston, Davis, Cann, Charles, Hutchings (g/k).

  • Elsewhere, Bashley face a home fixture against mid-table Frome Town, an effective dead rubber with the New Forest outfit already relegated.

Bash: Jones, Strickland, Flint, Ansell, Marden, Bulpitt, Roberts, Soetan, Joyce, Odam, Morris, Rolls, Brookes, Manders, Gazzard, George (g/k).

  • Wimborne Town travel to Fleet Town in Southern South & West. Assistant manager Paul Roast could return to the squad but influential midfielder Jon Blake is suspended.

Magpies were due to travel to Tiverton last night and manager Steve Cuss said: “Two games in less than 48 hours is not ideal, but other sides in this league are facing a similar situation.”

Magpies: (from) Harvell, Arnold, Donachy, Maybury, Oliver, Brimson, Griffin, Davidson, Grose, Kemble, Webb, Phelps, Burton-Hemmings, Hall, Terry, Roast.