WORCESTER City have been dealt a double blow after striker Amadou Bakayoko and goalkeeper Ethan Ross suffered major injury setbacks.

And, with just a few days to go before the registration deadline, City now face a race against time to replace them.

Walsall forward Bakayoko agreed to stay at Worcester until the end of the season last week after scoring three times in nine appearances since joining the Vanarama National League North outfit on loan in January.

However, joint-manager Carl Heeley revealed the 20-year-old, who is serving a suspension, may have played his final game of the campaign after sustaining a “nasty-looking” knee injury.

Worcester have been handed a further headache after it emerged Ross had also been involved in a “training accident” as he “badly damaged” his finger during a session with West Bromwich Albion.

With Nathan Vaughan also recovering from a groin injury, City had no goalkeeper on the bench on Saturday as Cheltenham Town loanee Calum Kitscha helped the hosts clinch a 0-0 draw against Harrogate Town.

Heeley said it was a “frustrating” situation but he was hopeful of making a double swoop before the deadline for registering players ends on Thursday.

“Ethan has badly damaged his finger in training, so it is another thing we have had to deal with,” he said.

“Amadou has served two games of a three-match suspension but he has now got quite a nasty-looking knee injury and he could be out for the rest of the season.

“So they are things we have got to keep a close eye on because the registration deadline is on Thursday and we might need to react in the goalkeeper and forward positions.”

Heeley was unsure how long 19-year-old Ross, who has kept three clean sheets in 11 matches for City, would be out for but admitted he was fearing the worst.

“It is hard to say with Ethan as they can’t assess the damage yet as the swelling is too bad,” he said.

“But it does not look very good. His middle finger is very badly swollen and badly bruised, so we will have to keep close contact with West Brom and find out what the diagnosis is.”

Heeley, whose side host league leaders Solihull Moors on Saturday (3pm) and are four points above the relegation zone, added: “I am used to being frustrated about not having players to pick from this season because we have had it since August.

“I know it is not going to ease up until the end of the season, so let’s try to get enough points on the board, get over the line and move on to the next campaign.”