Player-manager Ben Greenhalgh estimates injury-hit Margate are spending more of their playing budget on injured players than they are on fit ones.

Gate made five substitutions - four of them enforced - in their 2-2 Isthmian South East draw at Deal last weekend, including replacing No.1 Tom Wray.

Young substitute Louie Atkins had to come back off himself for a Margate side that were already without midfielders Sam Blackman and Brandon Davey, and striker Tom Derry.

“In general, we’re disappointed it was only a point,” said Greenhalgh, whose side came from 2-0 down to snatch a draw through midfielder Max Walsh’s injury-time goal.

“We know we need to start picking up a few more points.

“There was a bit of a hangover from the Faversham game (a 2-2 stalemate last midweek) on Saturday.

"It had been coming so we weren’t unlucky (when Faversham got a leveller) but, by the 96th minute, you would like to think you have done enough.

“We played injured players from the start on Saturday that weren’t 100 per cent, you could tell from their performances they weren’t 100 per cent. We were forced to make four substitutions due to injuries.

"We’re relying on younger players.

“In terms of our squad size, you’re talking 60 per cent of our squad and so, from a financial perspective, we’re spending more on injured players than fit players!

“People might ask ‘Did you sign injury-prone players?’. We didn’t. These injuries are a bit of a fluke.

“We’re hoping to get these players back, but they need to be fit and firing. I’m not sure how long we can go on for with 60 per cent of our playing budget not playing on a match-day.

“It does make pre-season a bit pointless where we’re now having to try new shapes with new players.”

Greenhalgh has been unable to name an unchanged starting line-up this term.

“We’re definitely looking at getting youngsters in - whether that’s from Dartford, Margate or wherever,” he said.

“We don’t want to sign a load of experienced players and end up with 25 or 26 players over the season.

“The majority of the players that are injured seem to be out for two or three weeks but then, when they’re coming back, they’re not quite right. We’re relying on the young players and everyone, really, to step up.

“We brought on Reece Hobbs at half-time, Blu Husthwaite just after half-time, Louie Atkins after half-time and Kelechi Nkwocha in the second half.

"Our midfield three had an average age of 20.

"We’re all desperate to get points and to get Margate promoted. But we’re struggling for any consistency and we haven’t been able to play the same starting XI yet this season!

“The change from Tuesday to Saturday, that was the least we have done.

"That was Ronnie Vint coming out and Lewis Knight came in.”

For Walsh, it was a second key stoppage-time goal in seven days, having got the winner in the 2-1 victory at Eastbourne.

He struck in the 95th minute at Deal after substitute Kane Haysman’s 78th-minute goal, captain Harry Hudson had a goal ruled out for offside, too, on 81 minutes.

Greenhalgh said: “If you’re on top and the ball falls to Max, he has got a knack of being in the right place at the right time.

"There’s maybe an element of expecting a bit too much from him where he’s the experienced one in midfield.

“He’d already had a couple of other opportunities that fell to him but that one was on his left foot.”

While losing goalkeeper Wray to a hamstring problem is a blow, Margate have a ready-made replacement in youngster Reece Hobbs.

“That’s where it’s brilliant we have got Reece,” said Greenhalgh. “He had a brilliant game again.

“That’s why we have got the youngsters like him around the squad and, to be fair to them, they do tend to take their opportunities.

“It’s just a case of sticking together.

"Actually in the last three games, we have won one, drawn one and then drawn another late on, and that’s been against some of the top teams in the division.

“Some of our performances have been better than last season but they haven’t been for 90 minutes.

"That can happen with a young team.”

Next up is the visit of early strugglers Beckenham - who secured a 3-1 success over Sevenoaks last weekend - this Saturday.

Gate had found themselves 4-0 up by half-time in last term’s corresponding fixture, a 6-2 win, and Greenhalgh thinks that might be on the minds of some of Beckenham’s players.

He said: “They’re never going to be a walkover.

"We were 4-0 up against them last year at our place by half-time and they wouldn’t have liked that. The players who were there for that last season will not accept those standards.

“But they had a brilliant result against Sevenoaks.

“The bottom line for us is we need to start picking up three points more often. That’s not being disrespectful to anyone.

“That’s what we need to do, even if it’s the younger ones doing it and not the more recognised players people are used to.”

Under-23s manager Salim Usman has been appointed to Margate’s board.

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