Gary Setchell concedes his hands will be tied when leading King's Lynn Town into their latest Southern League battle.

The Linnets' boss will be without at least five injured players for tonight's home Premier Division clash against Biggleswade Town. With three of them – Sam Gaughran, Kern Miller and Jordan Yong – plying their trade in defence, Setchell admits he has been left with no option but to plug his side's gaps the best way he can.

The Town chief admitted: 'We've been playing some nice football and we've already proved we can be a match for anybody in this league with our best 11 players. But these injuries will really hamper our progress over the next few weeks.

'It's more than a bit of a pain in the backside and I'm going to have to put some square pegs in round holes. We don't carry a squad of 22 so one or two lads will have to probably play out of position and one or two youngsters will have to be thrown in at the deep end.

'It's really not ideal but it's something we've got to get on with.'

Midfielders Conor Marshall and David Bridges – who both missed Saturday's 2-0 loss at Weymouth – are also sidelined while Setchell has a slight worry about the fitness of striker Sam Mulready. Michael Clunan's return does offer some slight respite after he missed the weekend defeat through suspension.

'We signed (defender) Matty Castellan looking to develop him over a period of 18 months,' said Lynn's boss.

'But he'll have to be thrown in at the deep end again. He hasn't let us down so far and neither did Simon Bird (reserve-team player) at Barton so he'll come into the squad. Dylan Edge (striker) will be involved and Liam Fryatt (midfielder) will probably get some game time.

'These young lads are really going to have to step up to the plate. We'll probably have to start with a defence that has an average age of about 20 but they're good players, they've got good players around them, we're at home and I'm sure the supporters will get behind us.'

Lynn's indifferent start has left them sitting 17th in the 24-team table while their visitors are seven places higher having collected just two points more.

'I know the league table doesn't lie but we're just two points off eighth,' added Setchell, whose side were switched into the division from the Northern League's Step Three equivalent in the summer.

'There's always league table and fan pressure but people who have come to watch us know we're playing well, creating chances and showing a lot of passion and endeavour. We've been doing all right so this has come at a bad time.

'Nobody can determine how our results are going to pan out over the next three or four weeks. The injuries are not long-term so hopefully we'll have bodies back sooner rather than later. If we fall a little bit behind where we want to be we're more than capable of pulling it back.

'There's real belief in the squad so we'll remain positive. It's not a critical period, we've just got a little spell with a lot of injuries. We won't be pushing the panic button and while it's a negative we're without these players, it's a positive to see how others fare in the heat of the battle.'