TOTTON & Eling must continue their Sydenhams Premier Division survival fight without new signing Mark Osman.

After marking his home debut with two goals in last Tuesday’s 5-0 romp over Horndean, the former AFC Totton fans’ favourite bowed out with a pulled hamstring just five minutes into Saturday’s visit of Hamworthy United.

With Steve Jenkin (unavailable) and Louis Dear (calf strain) also missing and the side looking visibly tired as they neared the end of a gruelling nine-match March schedule, it proved all too much for the bottom-of-the-table Millers as they lost 3-0 to a Sam Carr brace and one from Stefan Penny.

Chairman/co-manager Andy Tipp is awaiting an update on Osman’s injury, but he admitted it didn’t look good.

“I don’t know how bad it is, but we’ve only got six games left and I don’t think he’ll feature again this season,” he said.

“It’s a real shame because we had a big crowd in on Saturday with a lot of AFC Totton fans coming to watch him. Mark’s gutted about it.”

While disappointed with his own side’s performance, Tipp was impressed by Hamworthy – albeit that they got the rub of the green with all three goals.

“The first was a cross that looped in carried by the wind, the second was a penalty which our keeper Matt Fredericks saved but none of ours ran in for the loose ball, and the third hit one post then the other and hit matey on the head and went in!” said Tipp.

“But Hamworthy worked their socks off and their manager has done a really good job getting that team together.”

The Hammers’ penalty was awarded for an elbow by Millers’ centre-back Danny Steer who was sent off with around 20 minutes remaining.

“It had been niggly between Danny and their player all game, I should have taken him off really,” Tipp confessed.

T&E round off their mad March schedule at home to Bournemouth tonight and will be hoping some of their midweek magic does the trick.

Winchester City, Moneyfields and Horndean have all been beaten at Miller Park on a Tuesday night with Tipp admitting: “I don’t know what it is about us, but we don’t seem to be able to win any Saturday games.

“We missed a trick against Hamworthy with Fareham losing and Christchurch not playing, but we hadn’t reckoned on beating Horndean so we’re still targeting three wins from our last six to stay up. That, though, depends on what Fareham and Christchurch do. We’ll just try and win as many as we can and hope for the best.

“Steve Jenkin will be back tonight and we could do with that bit of pace up front.”