Phil Parkinson will be considering his options today as he examines his list of injured.
The U's boss lost two more players to the treatment room in Saturday's Coca-Cola League One 0-0 draw against Bristol City - bringing the total number of players in his squad who are unavailable to eight.
Neil Danns (hernia), Richard Garcia (hip), Marino Keith (Achilles), Karl Duguid (knee), Liam Chilvers (knee), Pat Baldwin (ankle), Sam Stockley (thigh) and Wayne Brown (suspended) are all out of the equation.
Parkinson, though, may not contemplate an emergency loan after the strong showing from his younger players.
He said: "I'll be doing a head count to see if I have 16 players for this coming Saturday.
"I have the option to bring in a loan player, but considering how well the youngsters have done for us I think it might be unfair to overlook them."
The likes of Greg Halford, John White, Dean Gerken and more recently George Elokobi have shown that the U's centre of excellence has produced some talented players in the last few years.
The two latest into the mix were Garry Richards and Robbie King, who both made their senior debuts against the Robins.
Parkinson said: "For me it's very encouraging. When the injuries hit these youngsters are stepping up to the mark and showing that they can do it.
"It means that I can take them into the first-team plans and I go from dealing with a squad of 18 players to a squad of 22 or 24."
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Published Tuesday, September 6, 2005
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