Skipper Bradley Quinton will be forced to sit out Braintree Town's crunch Blue Square South semi-final second leg clash at Eastbourne Borough.
The Iron skipper, sent off in the first leg, is suspended for the trip to the south coast, as they attempt to overturn a two-goal deficit.
It is the last thing manager Lee Patterson needs, as he already has a host of first team players missing from his line-up.
Defender Russell Edwards is unavailable for personal reasons.
And Ian Cousins, Robbie Martin, Andy Porter, Gary Cross, Lee Burns, James Baker and Richard Jolly are all on the list of absentees.
Billy Burgess and Adrian Deane, both injured in the first leg at Cressing Road which Braintree lost 2-0, are also doubts.
That has left the Iron with the bare minimum of first-team players to choose from for the club's biggest game of the season.
As a result, the versatile Louis Riddle could be rushed back quicker than expected from injury to start the game.
And Steve Good and Eugene Ofori could make rare starts against Boro', with the versatile Good primed for a central midfield role.
Patterson said: "It's cruel going into our biggest game of the season with so many of our key players missing.
"I can't believe how unlucky we've been with all of the injuries but there's no point moaning about it."
Braintree head into the clash as 25-to-one outsiders to make the play-off final, of the four teams still competing for a place in the Blue Square Premier.
However, Patterson is not writing off his team's chances just yet.
"Anything can happen and perhaps we're due a bit of fortune," he said.
"Eastbourne are a good side. They have some very good players and they are runners-up in the league for a reason.
"But perhaps they're a bit complacent and think that the job is already done."
Ryan Moran will revert back to his normal position in central defence, after playing as a makeshift striker in the first leg.
