Worcester City face the daunting prospect of welcoming Midland Football League Premier leaders Walsall Wood to Claines Lane this Saturday as they look to try and play their way out of relegation trouble.

City currently sit in 18th with just eight points from their opening 12 games of the 2022/23 campaign and have just three wins in all competitions this season.

In that time, they have seen one manager resign and a management team sacked and now have caretaker boss Stewart Watkins taking the side whilst the club begin the search for the new boss.

The squad has been reduced to a large amount of reserve team players with many senior members injured or having left the club.

City confirmed on Friday that forward Cameron Ebbutt has departed the club and that callum debar will miss the remainder of the season.

Both Demetri Brown and Josh Schuck are awaiting scans for injuries and City will also be without James Douglas and George Baker on Saturday. 

Watkins admitted many of the players do not even know each other and now they face a Walsall side who have won 12 of their 15 league games this season and are 10 points clear at the top of the MFL Premier.

"We have to dust ourselves down and try and put a show on," he said.

"We need to put in a performance that is reflective of the players. Is it going to be tough? Yes it is going to be extremely tough but then that's what you are up against.

"That's where we are at the moment and it's a big task, that's clear. We have reserve players coming in and doing really well but players are playing themselves into the team and players playing themselves out of the team.

"Trying to bring players in when they do not know who the next manager is going to be is very difficult but that's what we are having to work with."

Worcester will take some comfort from Walsall losing their first game of the season in mid-week.

At the same time City were being thumped by Stourport Swifts in the MFL Cup, Wood suffered a shock 2-0 defeat away at Darlaston Town.

That defeat ended a 14-match unbeaten run, in which they won 13 games, including a 2-0 win over City at the BBG Stadium.