Boss Gaston to play for Toon

Ballymoney United boss Paul Gaston is to lace up the boots again in a bid to save the season of his injury-ravaged and suspension-hit side.

United suffered a 2-3 defeat at home to Wakehurst on Saturday and Gaston was to sign as a player for his team on Tuesday night to help end a run of disappointing results.

United have been hugely weakened by injuries to seven first-team players and the suspension fall-out after four were players sent off against Ballyclare the previous Saturday.

At the Riada Stadium only two first-team members lined out from the side which memorably beat Bangor in the Irish Cup last month.

United are now languishing in the bottom four of the Championship Two.

As a result former Coleraine defensive hero Gaston has been forced to pull on the boots.

He said he will play up front as an impact substitute. Gaston said: “I’m going to sign at training tomorrow night.

“We are down to the bare bones, I have to do something.

“The way things are at the minute with our injuries we are trying to keep our first team and reserve team going.

“You know there’s not that many players. It’s ridiculous the way things are at the minute.

“But you just have to get on with it. On Saturday we had only 14 players, it just shows you at Ballymoney what we have.

“I could be on the bench on Saturday. I think maybe I could bring a wee bit of experience into it but I’m not fit.

“I’m going to start training now just to give us another body. “

“(However) it might not happen because if all the players out injured come back then I won’t have to worry about that, I’ll just wait and see what happens.

“It’s been one thing after another. It’s hard but you just have to be positive.

“We are sitting near the bottom and need to start picking up points, but we’ve that many games in hand but the games in hand are at home and you want to see the pitch now it’s so bobbly and not the Joey Dunlop Centre pitch I remember.”