BASINGSTOKE Town manager Frank Gray is facing a selection crisis in the centre of defence ahead of Wednesday night’s Hampshire Senior Cup trip to Sholing (kick-off 7.45pm).

With Jay Gasson suspended, Ross Adams and Robert Rice out injured and on-loan Reading man Angus McDonald ineligible, Town will go into the game without a single senior centre-back.

To make matters even worse, striker Tim Sills, who has filled in at the back at times this season, is also suspended, meaning that midfielder Stuart Lake is likely to be asked to fill the void, possibly alongside a youngster from the club’s academy.

Gray said: “We have no recognised centre-backs for the game, which makes things difficult. It’s possible we will ask Stuart Lake to go back there, possibly with an academy lad, otherwise we will have to ask somebody to play in a completely foreign position.”

Town will also be without Aldershot loanees Bradley Bubb and Adam Mekki, while fringe players Jide Ogunbote, Rob Gradwell and Chay Morris are expected to start and Simon Dunn could also feature.

Elsewhere, left-back Toby Little could recover from a hamstring problem in time to play, while Delano Sam-Yorke may make his much-awaited comeback from an ankle injury.

Sholing will certainly provide a depleted Town side with a tough test, having won their last five games to go top of Southern League Division One South and West.

Basingstoke were not in action on Saturday but retained sixth place in the Blue Square Bet South table and have lost just two of their last 19 games.

Town lost Hampshire Senior Cup ties at Sholing in both 2008-09 and 2009-10 and Gray expects another hard evening.

“It always seems to be tough down there,” he said. “It will be a hard game but it’s one we are looking to win.

“Hopefully it will be third time lucky. We should have won the first time we went down there but we will are not out looking for revenge, we just want to come through the game unscathed.

“We want to progress in the Hampshire Cup but we have got to be aware of how well we are doing in the league and we want to get further in the trophy. We’ll use the match to get games into players who players who have not had as many opportunities to play.”