One of Sittingbourne’s two new signings was injured before a ball was kicked on Saturday.

Winger Alfie Cue, who’s joined on loan from National League South Dartford, was named in their starting XI at Carshalton but pulled up with a leg muscle injury in the warm-up.

It summed up Brickies’ luck and they suffered their seventh straight defeat, losing 3-0.

Boss Nick Davis said: “It was unbelievable. We brought him in on loan from Dartford, put him in the team and then he felt his quads in the warm-up.

“That’s just been our luck at the moment but there you go. I don’t know when he’ll play.”

Fellow winger Rhys Bartlett is the other new man, joining on loan from Maidstone.

Stones boss Jay Saunders gave the teenager his National League debut this season and says he’s been the best player in their academy.

Davis believes Cue and Bartlett will be assets as they bid to rediscover their early-season form in Bostik South. He said: “They’re both wingers, both left-footers and we’ve been looking to do something in that area.

“They’ve been exposed to National League or National South football which tells you how highly they’re thought of by their respective managers.

“Tony (Cornwell, Brickies assistant) speaks to Jay Saunders at Maidstone, so that’s how Rhys came about and I had a chat with Tony Burman at Dartford about Alfie.

“We don’t often ask for favours but it’s good to get these two in and it helps them to be getting game time.”

Sittingbourne ended their losing run in style on Tuesday night when they thrashed Guernsey 4-0.

The points were sewn up by half-time after John Coker's 11th-minute opener was followed five minutes later by a Miles Cornwell strike, with Kane Rowland adding a third nine minutes before the break.

Rowland's second after 51 minutes wrapped up the win and moved Brickies up to 12th ahead of Saturday's game at home to ninth-placed Hastings.