TOM Killick admitted Poole Town had “always been in the lap of the gods” after a spate of injuries over the festive period.

Dolphins stalwart Marvin Brooks and skipper Jamie Whisken are rated as 50/50 to feature in tomorrow's Dorset derby at second-place Weymouth (3pm).

Steve Devlin is ruled out after being stretchered off in the first half against Salisbury on Saturday, leaving Poole with one fully fit central midfielder.

Whisken also had to be substituted due to a muscular problem, while Brooks missed the draw at Black Gold Stadium through an ankle problem.

Killick hoped the pair would be available for the trip to Bob Lucas Stadium.

“We know that Brooks and Whisken are relatively minor and short-term problems, but we have to hope for the best with Devlin,” said Killick.

“His injury is looking a little bit sinister. We have to get him scanned to find out more.

“I was inundated with midfielders a couple of weeks ago and had to trim things. Suddenly you get two big injuries in that area and it is the same at centre-back.

“I had young Brennan Camp from Bournemouth but Spetch and Whisken were doing well and there did not seem to be a huge opportunity to get him in the side.

“Bournemouth, understandably, wanted him playing games so he went to Dorchester.

“He would have been an immediate solution for us potentially being without Whisken.

“We are always in the lap of the gods when it comes to injuries.

“You make decisions on the circumstances at the time. You try to factor in things but we are not a club who can keep a massive squad of players, financially we are not in that position.

“We battled well against Salisbury and need to do the same on Tuesday.”

Weymouth twice came from behind to claim a draw against Southern League South leaders Taunton on Saturday.

Boss Killick urged his players to relish the challenge against Mark Molesley’s high-fliers.

“You have to look forward to it,” said Killick. “Weymouth is a proper old-fashioned football ground.

“They have very good supporters who make a lot of noise and create, by this level of football, some hostility. As a player you need to revel in those days.

“I always say you much prefer that to playing in front of five people and a dog.

“Mark Molesley deserves an awful lot of credit. He has turned things around there and made them a really powerful outfit.

“Weymouth are a club that has potentially under-achieved for a number of years and now he has got them where they should be.

“They had a good result away from home on Saturday. They have good players in all positions, the league’s top scorer and are powerful. We gave ourselves a lift by scoring at the end on Saturday and need to see what we can do.”

Dolphins (from): Cairney, Alawode-Williams, Spetch, Whisken, Smeeton, Griffin, Moore, Brooks, Gillespie, Roberts, Constable, House, Bedford, Leslie-Smith, Scrimshaw, Grange.