JERSEY Scottish, who only missed out on retaining the Coca-Cola Combination Division I title after a play-off against St Peter last season, are seriously short of players ahead of the new campaign.

Our first team squad isn’t big enough if we are to maintain a challenge for the Island title this coming season,’ said manager Bob Kearsey after a players’ meeting last night.

‘I’m not sure how many players we currently have on our books, but our first team squad isn’t big enough.

We’re still waiting for one or two players to sign for the club but I think that finishing on a low last season demotivated some of our players.

Compared to other clubs we did well, finishing second behind St Peter.

‘However, I feel that some of the players went away and, having had over a month to think about it, haven’t the same enthusiasm they had at the beginning of the year.

‘The worst scenario is that the club could fold or do what Magpies did, and drop into Division II, although I can’t believe that will happen to us.

A club can go to the wall at the top of the league as well as at the bottom, although a club like Jersey Scottish, which has won so much over the last 20 years, ought to be able to continue.

‘At the moment we have a first team squad of about 14 or 15 players.

That could be enough to mount another serious challenge to the league but it only takes a few injuries and we’re back in trouble again.

‘I’m not doing a disservice to the other teams in the league but Scottish aren’t a team which, realistically, sees itself finishing in the bottom three.

‘It’s hard to gauge where we are at the moment- but the club is definitely in need of more players.’ Jersey Scottish have been one of the most feared outfits in CI football for many years, and probably would be again next season should all their players re-sign.

But under Combination regulations a side playing in the top Division must also field a reserve side – or face a drop into Division II, a fact which former under-18 manager Pat Brennan is very conscious of.

‘We’ve lost four or five players like Scott Devlin, Craig Leitch and Stuart André.

And Ross Crick probably won’t sign until all the other players have signed for us.

It’s got so bad that if we can’t field two sides we might have to go down a division; we need at least 20 players to operate one team, and up to 40 if we are to operate two.

‘I don’t think we did enough at the end of last season to encourage players to join the club and we no longer have an under-18 team to bring in, either.

‘We also don’t have the backroom staff we had last season, for one reason or another, and it might be that we’ll be better off going down a division where with one team we won’t need as much administration as two.

I believe it’s a serious option that we either disband, or go down to the second division.’ Club president Barry Lane, who was also at last night’s meeting before having to leave half way through, also voiced his concern.

‘Of course I’m worried about the shortage of players; like the players themselves, I’m worried because I’m not certain we can put out two senior teams this season,’ he said.