Dunfermline Athletic will face Dundee United in this weekend’s SPFL Trust Trophy with just 13 senior players.
Pars boss James McPake will be without NINE of his first-team stars for this weekend’s third-round tie versus the Championship leaders at Tannadice.
It’s not all down to injuries. Harry Sharp is cup-tied after playing for Dundee B in earlier rounds, Sam Fisher is suspended and Ben Summers is away with the Scotland under-21s.
Dunfermline were already down on their luck when it came to injuries before a recent fresh spate.
Craig Wighton missed last weekend’s draw in Inverness and will not be risked, while the club are awaiting scan results to see the extent of the foot fracture picked up by captain Kyle Benedictus.
To make matters worse, Kane Ritchie-Hosler, who last week made his return from long-term injury, has picked up an unrelated knee issue and Rhys Breen will have to undergo a scan on his knee.
They all join key first-team players Matty Todd and Deniz Mehmet on the sidelines.
Dunfermline boss left scratching his head ahead of Dundee United match
McPake told the Dunfermline Athletic official website: “It is disappointing and everyone is scratching heads, wondering, is it the load in training?
“When you look at the injuries that we have had, the only one that we were, not reckless with, but when Michael O’Halloran came in and he went from doing nothing to doing a lot.
“His body, in the end, caught up with him and he had to have a week or two out just doing rehab.
“The rest have been impact injuries and that results in the surgeries that we have had to date and the time that people are out.
“It is really unfortunate.”
