Bognor's hectic season run-in boosted by new trio - but when will injured three be back?

They had mixed feelings about a blank weekend sparked by Storm Dennis forcing their home Isthmian premier clash with Bishop’s Stortford to be called off.

It gives their injury list more time to clear - but also increses the number of games they will have to cram into a relatively short space of time. With only ten Saturdays of the regular season left, Bognor still have 14 league games to play – a third of their programme. That will be fine if the weather improves soon but they will not have any midweeks free if the wet conditions go on much longer.

So with the big workload in mind, and with defender Joe Cook and midfield pair Jake Flannigan and Doug Tuck still out, the Rocks have brought in three players in the past week to bolster options. It's especially important now skipper Harvey Whyte is looking at another three-game ban for a red card picked up in the 7-2 county cup defeat to Brighton U23s.

The most eye-catching swoop was that for young AFC Bournemouth schemer Tom Dinsmore on loan last Thursday.

Portsmouth-born central midfielder Dinsmore, 19, joined the Cherries in 2012 and worked his way through the development centre and academy ranks before penning his first pro contract after completing his two-year scholarship in 2019.

He has trained with his new Nyewood Lane team-mates and is ready to go straight into the side.

A day after Dinsmore joined, central defender Puemo followed him into Nyewood Lane, making the switch from Bognor’s Isthmian premier rivals Kingstonian. Experienced Puemo, who moved to Kingstonian last summer from Farnborough, adds some steel to the ranks in the absence of injured Joe Cook, who has been badly missed when absent.

Manager Jack Pearce said: “Jerry joins us at a time when competition for places is everything as we try to force our way into the play-off picture. He is an established player at this level and we very much look forward to working with him.”

He began his career in the youth ranks of West Bromwich Albion and Scunthorpe before he completed a two-year scholarship with Aldershot Town, then played for Morecambe U23s for two seasons. At the beginning of last season, he moved from Morecambe to Farnborough and was a regular in their defence before making the switch to the Ks.

On Tuesday, the Rocks signed Dutch winger Tresor Shema, 22, who has recently moved to England. His previous club was KM Torhout in the Belgian third tier after featuring in the youth squad at Dutch division three team SV Blauw Geel.

Pearce said the one good thing about last Saturday’s postponement was that it gave Cook, Tuck and Flannigan time to work towards fitness.

He estimates Tuck could be back from a heel injury in about a week but Cook (knee) and Flannigan (hamstring) are probably a minimum of two weeks away from returns to action.

Pearce said having to call off games was a real headache for non-league clubs, adding: “What fans woulsn’t see is that you have an army of voluntary people – in our case about 30 – who have to do all the preparation for a game, and then see it wasted when a game gets called off.

“There’s nothing we can do. Our pitch holds up very well to rain but sometimes the weather just defeats you, especially when you have to consider the travelling to be done by the visitors, which was a factor last Saturday.”

The Rocks go to Haringey on Saturday and Lewes next Wednesday in an Isthmian double header that could result in them closing in on a top-five spot.

Pearce expects two difficult games even though both opponents are in the bottom half.

“You only have to look at the problems Brightlingsea Regent caused us recently and consider that they are now bottom after losing 7-0 to Bowers and Pitsea,” he said. “It really is a dog-eat-dog division.”