NEW Milton Town boss Andy Bye considered pulling his boots on for an unwanted comeback after Linnets ground out a 2-1 win at Alresford Town with a squad of just 12 players on Tuesday night.

Former Bashley, Fareham and Basingstoke star Bye only had goalkeeper Rory Anderson on the bench as Linnets maintained their impressive league campaign with three points on the road.

But with key men Rob Woolner and Dominic Allen both pulling out of Tuesday night’s encounter late on, Bye was thankful that all 11 of his starting line-up were able to complete 90 minutes without further harm.

Bye, whose side travel to Alton in the Sydenhams Wessex Premier Division tomorrow (3pm), said: “We went to Alresford with 11 players and one sub – and that was a goalkeeper. That was all we had.

“We also went to Cowes the other week with one sub. I went through the list and we had 21 players, but nine were unavailable due to a variety of suspensions, injuries and general unavailability. Rob Woolner rang up at the 11th hour and pulled out because he was ill and Dominic and Raj Chengadu didn’t make it because of injuries.

“That’s probably about the tightest we’ve had it. Paul White came in on a temporary cover basis and ended up playing the whole game so without him, we would have had to play a goalkeeper on the pitch.”

When asked if stopper Rory Anderson was much of an outfield player, Bye said: “I don’t know, but I reckon we might find out soon! I was thinking about making a comeback myself. The trouble is that’s all well and good but then you can’t walk for about a week afterwards.

“We just need to get through this little period and get a few people back.”

Bye and Paul Masters have already moved to bolster their limited playing resources by swooping for 17-year-old Eastleigh striker Arron Milburn – a product of the Silverlake Stadium youth ranks after being released by Portsmouth as a trainee.

Bye added: “Because Eastleigh don’t play in the Wessex League, you can take players without having to transfer them fully and all that malarky.

“We’re hoping to get one or two more from them on a doubling-up basis while we are a little bit tight.”

Callum Burt is unavailable for tomorrow’s trip, while keeper Nic Jones (knee) is still sidelined. Allen and Raj Chengadu will both face late fitness tests.

Bye said: “We’re a bit better off for tomorrow, but considering the situation on Tuesday night, it was a great win.

“But unless Raj and Dominic can make the numbers up, we might only have 13 or 14 for tomorrow.

“We’ve managed to post a win on the board, though, after a couple of defeats and that keeps us in the mix.”

New Milton Town: (from) Clifton-Moore, K Chengadu, Clarke, Coleman, Grace, Urquhart, White, Holland, Cox, Woolner, Sampays, Milburn, R Chengadu, Allen, Walker, Pidgley, Anderson.