Sholing midfielder Alex Sawyer rescued his side with a late equaliser at lowly Bashley – but the Boatmen’s woes continue.

They trailed for most of a poor game to a 23rd-minute goal that looped over goalkeeper Jordan Brooks, before Sawyer’s low strike in the third minute of injury time.

But Dave Diaper’s squad will be stretched even further at fourth-placed Didcot Town on Saturday.

Already without more than half his first team due to injury, Diaper is without Sawyer for the next three games due to a week-long holiday.

And striker Dan Mason pulled out during the warm-up at Bashley with flu.

Diaper, who handed debuts to left-back Liam Golding, Macauley Smith and Declan McCarthy, said: “We’re getting hit from all angles! We also had Josh Oxlade on the bench for the first time and Jack Smith is suspended for two more games.

“Jordan Brook played in goal because Rory Anderson failed a fitness test and Dan Miller played through the pain barrier again, despite having a bad foot injury.

“He’s a got a great attitude, he shouldn’t really be playing but we’ve got no-one else!”

Bashley climbed off the foot of the table, despite missing out on their first league win since September.

Diaper said: “It was a well-deserved point, we created numerous chances in the second half and it looked like it would be one of those days.

“Conditions were awful, we were playing with the wind down the slope in the first half so the ball kept running through to their keeper.

“It would be unkind to call their goal a freak but the wind helped it lob the keeper.”