KEITH Curle called for an urgent meeting with his fitness team after Latics suffered yet another injury.

Nicky Adams had to be withdrawn at half-time after picking up a knock in the first half of Saturday’s defeat at Leyton Orient.

The winger has joined the queue for the treatment table - a line-up that includes goalkeeper Danny Rogers, summer signings Jordan Clarke, Sam Hart, Harrison McGahey, Ouss Cisse, Jamie Hopcutt and Alan Sheehan.

And Curle was meeting with his strength and conditioning team in the aftermath of Saturday’s 4-0 loss to determine whether they had just had a run of bad luck or if practices had to change.

“At the minute we’ve got seven subs, five of them are youth team players - 17-18 year olds, and one of them is injured and can’t come on,” explained Curle.

“But we’ve fulfilled our quota and put him on as a name because we don’t want to be seen to be short.

“You are looking at how you can change the game. At 2-0 you are thinking we can still get something out of this.”

But Curle found his options limited further by Adams’ injury.

“I’ve got a meeting with the strength and conditioning department because we cannot have that many injuries,” he said.

“I can see because we’ve got a small squad the work load is (greater).

“We are being tested and we are thin on the ground.”

Curle added: “It’s indicative of where are now as a football club. We are down and everyone is kicking us and it’s one of those, sometimes you’ve got to cover up and the only way is to get on your knees first then you are hunched up, then you stand up, then you start fighting.

“At the minute you can’t fight when you are on the floor, so you need to protect yourselves and that’s what we’ve got to do.”