PHIL Wilson was today (Thursday) waiting for a good news phone call from the other side of the River Lune as he tries to add to his Lancaster City squad.

The City boss is down to the bare bones thanks to injuries and suspensions - and is hoping Morecambe chief Jim Harvey will loan him at least one fringe player to lift the Dolly Blues gloom.

Wilson only had 10 fit players for Tuesday's game with Droylsden - Steve Jones played despite being less than 100 per cent - and the manager is desperate to add to his ranks after two home defeats in a week.

"I only have a squad of 16 first team players so injuries really do take their toll and affect how we can play," says Wilson.

"I am hoping to have some new faces for Saturday. I have been on the phone to Jim Harvey but he is looking at his own injury problems so I may not hear anything until later."

Wilson was rightly bullish in his defence of his players on Tuesday - and if only they had received similar defence from a referee who let far too many brutal Droylsden tackles go.

Physio Andrew Pearson was the busiest person in the ground after the game as City stars limped into the treatment room, giving Wilson more headaches ahead of the trip to FA Cup heroes Hinckley United.

Referee Dave Commins was at best weak and at worst downright bad - Wilson described the officials as the worst he had seen this year - and how the Bloods finished the game with 11 men is amazing.

Ged Murphy's winning goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time at the end - and there was a big hint of offside about the strike.

"Was it offside?" enquired Wilson afterwards. Well it certainly looked to be, and that's the sort of bad luck which is currently costing the Dolly Blues dear as they looked the likely winners on a chilly night.

Tough tackles are part and parcel of the game - two-footed high lunges have no place in football.

But on Tuesday night Tony Sullivan, Ian Dawes and Ryan Elderton all fell victim to those sort of assaults as Droylsden bullied their way through the clash.

In fact, if Gareth Morris had taken an axe to a Lancaster player it may have been preferable to some of his play. He ran around kicking people - yet managed to avoid a yellow card while Jody Banim saw yellow just for two obvious dives in the penalty area.