JUST three matches into the new season and Kevin Maggs is already facing a selection dilemma after Moseley’s back-row took a couple of dents during Saturday’s irksome defeat to Doncaster.

The Billesley outfit not only left Castle Park with no points, after a second-half rally came up just short, but also with concerns over two players who have done much to make the start to the campaign such a positive one.

Openside Ben Pons, scorer of a spectacular 40-metre solo try, has a suspected dislocated shoulder and in-form No.8 Mike Ellery was forced from the field with a hip injury, leaving Maggs short of options at such an early stage in proceedings.

The head coach describes himself as ‘hopeful’ that Ellery’s problem will not keep him out of this weekend’s significant match with Esher and will find out the extent of Pons’ damage at training this evening.

With Chevvy Pennycook, last year’s player of the season, still recovering from shoulder surgery Maggs could be left without a recognised No.8 against the winless Surrey side.

What is clear, though, is that neither Pons nor Ellery will play in tomorrow’s irrelevance of a British & Irish Cup match at home to Plymouth.

Instead, Mose will field up to ten newly-registered players, including Nuneaton and former Stourbridge flanker Llyr Griffiths, in a side largely made up of reserves and aspiring local players.

But even that will do nothing to salve his irritation at having to find a side to play three matches in eight days – especially when the one that took the field against the Knights only did so with any meaningful intent during the second half.

“It was disappointing with it being our first away game, we should have taken something out of it, if not won,” Maggs said. “We didn’t get off to a very good start and made them look like world beaters in the first half.

“We had lots of chances but made too many errors in their 22, which was a little bit like against Nottingham.

“It’s about the boys making the right decisions. We had enough opportunities to score tries but we decided to either pass it to someone inside us or someone who wasn’t there outside. It is frustrating, we have not had a bad start but really we should have won all three of them, that is how close it is.”

Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 7.30pm.