Hamilton Accies boss John Rankin is confident his squad will cope with the injury and suspension headaches facing his side for Saturday's Championship clash with Cove Rangers.
Rock bottom Accies welcome eighth place Cove knowing a win would see them move off the foot of the table and leapfrog their opponents.
But they will need to do so without two, potentially three, key players.
Defender Dan O'Reilly has been handed a two-game ban following his red card at Arbroath last weekend, while defensive midfielder Scott Martin serves a one-game suspension after picking up six bookings so far this term.
To add to that, first choice goalkeeper Ryan Fulton remains a doubt having pulled out in the warm-up at Arbroath to be replaced by 20-year-old Jamie Smith.
Rankin groaned: "Sometimes these things are sent to try us.
"Scotty has his ban, but we knew that was coming up anyway. Dan was sent off on Saturday and whether we think it is a red or not is irrelevant because the video is inconclusive so we just need to deal with it.
"So it's a case of putting square pegs in round holes to fill those gaps.
"It's a challenge but it is one we are prepared for and one we need to make sure we have the right organisation for.
"I wouldn't say it is a worry. The way footballers are educated they should know each other's jobs inside out and whoever is asked to play there on Saturday should know what we are asking Dan to do from week to week, so it shouldn't be a surprise to them.
"It might be a surprise to find themselves in a different area of the pitch than normal and a wee bit out of their comfort zone, but they need to stand up and be counted for the team.
"I'm comfortable with the boys who will be on the pitch on Saturday and we just need to be ready for the challenge Cove will bring.
"You look at Saturday there, it was a challenge for us when Fults pulled up in the warm-up.
"At no time did I feel uncomfortable playing Jamie. He is more than capable and that has to be the case that you trust the players and hopefully they repay that trust.
"Jamie did that on Saturday. He had one save to make and made it really well, his kicking was good, he was commanding and his communication was good."
Rankin provided more detail on Fulton's injury, revealing the long bus journey to Inverness aggravated an underlying issue.
He explained: "Thankfully, Fults is not out for a while. He felt his back last Sunday morning after the Partick game. We got to Inverness on the Tuesday and he was still feeling his back but the bus journey didn't help. Then it becames referred pain and it has ended up in his thigh.
"The thigh strain then comes from referred back pain.
"On Saturday his back was fine but he was feeling his thigh. There is a slight strain there and we didn't feel it was worth the risk of a pull or a tear, so we were at a stage on Saturday where he either missed one game or seven or eight.
"He hasn't trained since then though so we will wait until Thursday or Friday to make a decision on him.
"If he needs to miss one more to play the rest, I'm absolutely fine with that."
The likes of Lucas de Bolle, Marley Redfern and Jamie Hamilton are also out of action, but Newcastle loanee de Bolle has received some positive news this week after being ruled out through concussion.
Rankin added: "Lucas has been able to go on a bike this week. His blurred vision has disappeared, his CT scan has come back all clear.
"But as he has been out for a period of time.
"Hopefully at some point today we will see him do some running or light jogging on the pitch and if we get clarity with that, we can step up his process of getting back.
"He's a fit boy and I'm sure if we can get him back on the training pitch, then I'm sure he will be available pretty soon after that to be involved in games."
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