Shetland missing string of key players ahead of football inter-county
Captain James Farmer and talisman James Aitken both set to miss match
PREPARATIONS for the senior inter-county football match against Orkney are continuing with the squad taking to the field on Friday night for a warm-up match.
The Shetland team will play a Premier League select side at Gilbertson Park in Lerwick, with a 7pm kick-off.
The final inter-county squad is expected to be named on Wednesday, prior to the big game in Kirkwall on Saturday 25 July.
Shetland are set to be without their most experienced player for this year’s tie, with 15-times capped James Aitken to miss out after suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury.
Up to seven others will also be missing from last year’s Island Games squad, including captain James Farmer of Ness United.
However, the management team of Jim Tait and John Thomson said they would still be able to call on a talented group of players.
“Obviously James Aitken’s injury is a big setback for us,” Tait said.
“He is very influential both on and off the park, such a mainstay of the team for so many years, and we will really miss him.
“We had already lost a few from last season, including John Allan and Sam Maver up front, plus Brandon McKay will likely be missing due to work commitments and Liam Flaws and James Farmer are also unavailable this year.
“So we have had to call on some new faces but the boys have done well in training and I reckon we’ll still have an excellent final squad.”
An agreement with the Orkney Football Association means that both teams can name up to 18 players for the match, two more than in previous years.
“That makes sense,” Tait said, “as league football in both Shetland and Orkney allows clubs to name seven substitutes and use five of them.
“We believe it should be the same for the county sides.”
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