Paddy Davitt King's Lynn player/boss Carl Heggs has some welcome selection dilemmas ahead of today's Unibond Premier Division test against Matlock at The Walks (3pm).

Paddy Davitt

King's Lynn player/boss Carl Heggs has some welcome selection dilemmas ahead of today's Unibond Premier Division test against Matlock at The Walks (3pm).

Hegg has spent most of the current campaign battling to combat a lengthening injury list and spat of suspensions. But top scorer Anthony Robinson returns after serving his third ban of the season while Heggs recruited former Mansfield midfielder Curtis Shaw to his upwardly-mobile squad on the eve of Matlock's re-arranged visit.

“At Kendal last weekend we couldn't even fill the substitutes' bench,” said Heggs. “That tells you we don't have the biggest group of players when we get a few injuries. We had to bring in one or two reserve players recently and I have to apologise to Keith Rudd because I know that makes his job even more difficult. If I had any spare players I would give them to him but it's not like we have three or four sitting in the stands.”

Robinson starts alongside his player/boss with midweek Frickley scorer Kwesi Appiah set to make way.

“Robbo will come straight back in,” said Heggs.

“You can't leave your top scorer out. I don't think Robbo and Kwesi worked against Nantwich in the previous home game so that leaves me no choice but to play myself. I kicked myself for a good week after Nantwich that I hadn't played - just to give it 40, 50, 60 minutes to try to win the battle, push them back deeper and deeper, and then throw Kwesi on with his pace to tear them to shreds.”

Heggs refused to give away any clues over Shaw's prospects of a home debut. The 22-year-old free agent only linked up with his new team mates on Thursday after recently training with Gillingham following his Mansfield release.

“We didn't have an out-and-out central midfielder who can put their foot on it and likes to pass the ball,” said Heggs. “Curtis brings that to the football club but unfortunately a couple will maybe have to go. I've got to decide on that in the next week or two.

“Don't get me wrong, we've got lads like Carl Palmer and Lewis Webb who are quite similar and Joe Magunda who has done a great job for me, but he's not a natural midfielder. Curtis has a half decent CV, he's at the right age and I've known about his situation for a month or so. The problem is it's all about balancing the budget. We can't put lads on long terms and pay them �800 a week. It's been done at this football club in the past and it doesn't work. Curtis trained with us this week and he looked a talented, enthusiastic boy.”

Heggs is not fooled by Matlock's lowly league status after losing to the Derbyshire outfit in the opening week of the season.

“One thing I do know about this league is it not easy,” he said.

“The only team you can give yourself three points is probably Durham and even they seem to be slowly picking up, so you'd be silly to do that.

“We don't underestimate anybody. Matlock are eight points behind but have three games in hand and I hope I've instilled that similar mindset in the lads. Against Nantwich we should have been two up in the first 20 minutes but when the heads went down in the last 20 we could've come off getting beaten 5-0. I know we'll work hard and with a bit of luck we can go on and win this game.”