Defending Digicel Pro League Champions Bmobile Joe Public will be without central defender Radanfah Abu Bakr for an estimated two months.
The 23 year-old Trinidad and Tobago international picked up a fracture near his right instep area during the Round One Match Day Three clash against home side Tobago United at the Dwight Yorke Stadium on Saturday 15th May.
“It was really unfortunate,” said team manager Roland Sampath. “He was simply jogging backwards when it happened. He wasn’t in any sort of tackle or running with the ball.”
Following an x-ray done at Medical Associates last week, Joe Public learned of the disappointing news that its 2010 defensive signing will not be available for six weeks, and according to Sampath adding two weeks of rehabilitation will take it up to eight weeks.
That’s added misfortune for head coach Derek King who was without ace forward and captain Kerry Baptiste and influential midfielder Trent Noel against Tobago United in their 4-1 win.
Noel missed Friday’s 1-1 draw against Caledonia AIA still nursing a groin injury while Baptiste had to be replaced 15 minutes inside the match after feeling discomfort with his still present hamstring injury. Abu Bakr was present, but on crotches to witness Joe Public manage a 1-1 draw against his former club.
Both Baptiste and Trent are said to be with fifty-fifty chances of readiness for the Lions next match on Friday when they host second positioned W Connection from 8pm at the Marvin Lee Stadium.
“We have the younger players that are stepping up such as Trent Lougheed and Micah Lewis,” said Sampath. “The coach will be utilizing who he sees fit for certain roles and it’s now for those players to grasp these opportunities and prove themselves.”
The team manager pointed out Javon Morris, Makan Hislop, Carlyle Mitchell, Keion Goodridge, Andre Toussaint, Yu Hoshide and Conrad Smith as players who are capable of rising to the task.