MICK Wadsworth admits James Brown was set to start his first game of the season before the luckless attacker was struck down by injury on Friday.

Brown has been following a specially formed fitness programme this season and, after an impressive run-out for the reserves in midweek against Middlesbrough was poised to play in Saturday's FA Cup exit to Stevenage from the off.

But he was one of three to break down in training before the game with Sam Collins (calf) and Colin Nish (knee) also ruled out.

"We had a terrible day on Friday and lost three players in the space of one hour," said Wadsworth.

"We lost Browny, who I was going to start. He's done very well recently and we've had this programme with him.

"Then we lost Sam and Nishy and it was a disappointing morning and then to lose Scott as well makes it worse.

"We'll let the medical team get on with assessing the injuries before we know more, but it came as such a shock. We've been working hard to get a diagnosis on them and see the right people.

"We'll have a better idea later this week when things settle down."

Meanwhile, defender Stephen Wright admitted he relished the physical nature of Saturday's game.

He started in central defence in place of Collins and said: "They are a big team, look at the size of them before they came out. I heard stories about them last year that they train four, five times a day. How true that is? You can only do so much with weights and so on, but each to their own.

"I enjoyed the physical side of it, that's me, I like that.

"That's what the gaffer wanted. From last weekend, straight into preparation for this one we worked at it and knew what to expect and it goes out of the window with the sending-off.

"But it's there, you can do everything in training, but it's about heart and that's what he wants.

"You have to battle and work hard. I didn't play in the game down there at their place which the lads said they battered balls in, but they are up there in the table and must be doing something right."