St Ives Town manager Ricky Marheineke is facing up to the prospect of being without captain Luke Knight until 2016.

The midfield ace suffered a reaction to a groin problem in training last week and now faces an extended spell on the sidelines.

It is the second big blow for the Southern League Division One (Central) table-toppers in that area of the pitch.

They also have Jack Higgs out for several weeks with ankle ligament damage while Peter Clark limped out of their 2-0 victory against fellow promotion chasers Kings Langley last Saturday.

At least his hamstring problem does not appear to be too serious, but it still leaves Marheineke with a selection headache ahead of Saints’ home clash against mid-table Uxbridge at ProEdge Westwood Road today.

He admitted: “We are certainly not having an easy time with injuries.

“We’ve already got Jack out for a long time and now it looks like Luke might be missing until the new year as well.

“We could have done without Peter picking up an injury as well in the Kings Langley game, but we’re hoping he will only be out for a week at the most.”

The Saints boss also has influential frontman Stuart Eason out with an abdominal issue and has looked to bolster his attacking options by making a move for AFC Rushden & Diamonds striker Scott Joseph.

Marheineke has also successfully applied for international clearance for former Saints man Will Muzuimbiri, who is set to return after a spell playing in Sweden. Muzuimbiri will have games for United Counties League side Wellingborough Town initially.

“I feel we could do with a couple more options up front,” added Marheineke. “We’ve got Stuart out at the moment and Danny Watson awaiting surgery.

“We know all about Will from his time at the club last season while Scott is a very good player who is known to a few of our lads already.”

But the lengthy casualty list isn’t affecting Saints’ ability to pick up results.

Scott Sinclair’s first-half opener and a late Jared Cunniff clincher were enough to see off Kings Langley last Saturday and secure a third successive victory in front of a crowd of 264 – more than double the next best attendance in the division on the day.

It maintained Town’s one-point cushion at the top of the standings – a margin which was preserved following the postponement of a top-of-the-table showdown at AFC Rushden & Diamonds yesterday.

Marheineke continued: “I was really happy with the performance we produced to beat a good side.

“It was the toughest test we have faced in recent games and everyone proved their worth to help us keep the winning run going.

“We played with positivity, pace and bravery to get ahead and that gave us the lead to hold onto before we got the second goal at the end.

“It was a more convincing victory than the scoreline might suggest. We missed some good chances and I can’t recall my goalkeeper having to make a noteworthy save in open play.”