JWL title-chasing Andover will be without the services of their skipper Stuart Barfoot for the next three months following a change of position at work.

"He'll be available for the occasional midweek game but not for any of the Saturday games," Andover boss Ken Cunningham Brown said this week Barfoot, who took over as skipper of the side this season, has been missing on a couple of occasions this year due to a niggling back injury but the former Bashley player will be sorely missed by the Lions.

A favourite with the Portway faithful due to his constant change of hair styles and battling style of play, Barfoot has made 18 appearances this season and scored five goals.

The Lions have put in a seven-day approach for Newbury defender Glen Damien, who lives in Andover, and hope to sign him in time for this Saturday's trip to Portsmouth RN.

If Damien turns down Andover's offer then the Lions still have enough strength in depth to cope for the time being with Lloyd Webber and Dave Green both having had experience of playing in defence.

"It's disappointing but his full-time job has to come first but it shows the benefit of us having a big enough squad when your skipper is out for three months," added KCB. "We'll still be able to travel with a full squad of 14 players for this Saturday's game."

The Lions were without a game last Saturday - a surprise considering approximately 230 matches in the JWL being called off due to the recent bad weather and only two of last Saturday's scheduled seven first division games survived the latest rain-ruined programme - and Tuesday's re-arranged home game with Wimborn was also postponed as as well with the Magpies having to play a Dorset Senior Cup game.

The Lions however have been luckier than most with them able to play all of this season's home games so far but they are now behind with their fixtures following this week's postponement.

"It's disappointing," admitted KCB, "but other clubs are in a lot worse position that us. These things would be a big problem if you are the only one suffering but at the moment everyone else has the same problem."

Andover trained twice this week - on Tuesday and Thursday - but although it's not the same as playing KCB's table-toppers are only one or two games behind with their fixtures, unlike champions Wimborne who have been one of the hardest hit by the recent deluge with them having played only 10 league games so far this season - six less than the Lions.

Newbury's game at Bemerton was one of the two league fixtures to be played in the first division last Saturday but they were beaten 3-1 after playing all but for all but 10 minutes for the first half with only 10 players after former Andover striker Paul Odey was late arriving at Bemerton.

Andover's return leg with Portsmouth RN in the second round of the League Cup - the Lions won the first leg 7-0 at home - has been put on the back burner with the JWL having suspended its midweek cup competitions in a bid to ease the chronic fixtures pile-up caused by the unrelenting wet weather. "They've decided to put the midweek cup games on hold for the time being," said Lions secretary Chris Jeremy, "and the return leg with the Navy is not likely to be played until well into the New Year."

The Lions however are also in cup action next Tuesday night when they take on local rivals New Street Res in the third round of the North Hants Senior Cup (7.45pm).

lThere was sad news for the Lions and their followers this week following the sudden death of Simon Hurford, one of the town club's most loyal supporters

The 42-year-old, who recently started up his own business, collapsed and died of a heart attack last Thursday.

Graham Cousins, another Lions' stalwart, said that he only knew Simon through football but was a real fan of the town club. He went to most of the team's away games and hardly missed a home game.

"When the Lions were in the Southern League he was our 'transport manager' and took us to many of the away games," added Cousins. "A crowd of us always stand together at home games and we always appreciated Simon's dry humour. He will be sadly missed and we would like to send our sincere condolences to his family at their sad loss."

The funeral service will be held on Monday, 18 December, at Salisbury Crematorium, at 2pm.

Former Andover player and manager Micky Woolford is making good progress after having a hip replacement operation in an Oxford hospital

Now aged 61, Woolford joined Andover in the early 1960's and played for the town club for nearly 10 years and was a regular in Robin North's side that twice finished runners-up in successive seasons in the Western League.

"Mick is progressing well after the operation and I told him that he if was having a new left leg then hopefully it was better than the one he had before," joke North this week.