Apart from a bright spell for Eastbourne at the start of the second half I always felt that Dorking were higher quality and more technical at trying to carve out chances, I agree it never felt like a game we were going to lose.

It was an exceptionally good performance. I thought how Carter played that CF position was well in excess of national league south level. It shows what a really good younger forward can do with the ball at their feet in the system the team plays. Something we have been crying out for now for a number of seasons. Also really happy to see Pybus score that exceptional free kick. 

Hopefully we can get this Patrick Casey in on loan. Homework will have been done as he had a brief spell at Maidstone last season.

However, an existential crisis needs to be addressed. Why is it that every season for the past 4-5, 6-8 players are out injured for large periods of it? With Ben Bacon in on a full time salary this was part of his job but its not as simple as that either. 

Are they resting players with niggles rather than playing them, or are they doing too much high intensity training? 

I am not sure, and its clear they are not either.

When you look at other clubs with more games per week, and more training at higher levels of intensity, they have no where near the level of long term injured players that Dorking has.

It does seem as an outsider looking in, that players are being given overly long recovery plans and being kept out for too long. This is reinforced by the facts that the older boys, who cannot be as fit as the younger ones, are playing more games, is this because they know how the game works? 

Jackson, Crawley also have lot of injuries (quite often 6-7 out - 25%). Like Dorking they like to play high intensity possession based football, and their manager always wants them to run as much as possible. Recently we have bought lower league players or those with past injury records. I wonder if sometimes the players are just not fit enough or used to playing such high intensity football demanded by our manager. At Crawley both experienced older players, and young players are picking up injuries.

The injuries are a mixture. Niall's fracture stems back from that pre-season friendly at Sholing, Alfie's was also a contact injury *should have been a penalty too)

The Jose Marquez situation is most odd as he is young and prolific 

I'm usually fairly critical of the injury situation but we can probably count ourselves a bit unlucky this season as the majority have been contact injuries:

Carter - 10 weeks with a swollen knee after colliding with the Dagenham keeper

Francomb - 6 weeks with a broken toe from a tackle against Slough. Then picked up a knee injury at Ebbsfleet.

McManus - 4 months with two different leg breaks with the first being a rough tackle at Sholing

Rutherford - 12 weeks after being scythed down against Enfield

Hebert - 6 weeks with a broken toe

Foulkes - 5 weeks with a spleen injury after being rugby tackled at Hornchurch

Norville-Williams - 8+ weeks expected with a dislocated shoulder after falling badly at Chesham

Taylor - We're not sure how long he will be out but his was from a strong 50/50 tackle on Saturday

Jose Marquez is coming back from a long term knee injury so these sorts of niggles are usually expected as well.

Pybus and Gallagher are probably the only longer term muscle injuries we've had with Prior hopefully not out for too long as well.

Marc has got the striker he wanted, Patrick Casey on loan from Charlton. Doesn't say how long for though. Assume just a month initially to cover for injuries.

It’s for the rest of the season according to Charltons twitter page. Exciting news 

@crawleysth Remainder of the season. Gives us more options up front now👍

Posted by: @crawleysth

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Jackson, Crawley also have lot of injuries (quite often 6-7 out - 25%). Like Dorking they like to play high intensity possession based football, and their manager always wants them to run as much as possible. Recently we have bought lower league players or those with past injury records. I wonder if sometimes the players are just not fit enough or used to playing such high intensity football demanded by our manager. At Crawley both experienced older players, and young players are picking up injuries.

I would not compare our injury record to a badly run club going life and death with relegation from league 2. Crawley is not on an upward trajectory right now and is clearly doing a lot wrong, lets just leave it at that. 

You simply cannot go "bad luck" or its "shucks" when the same thing gets repeated year after year, but at other clubs it doesn't.