KEVIN Glendon believes a traffic nightmare that saw four key players miss the start of Radcliffe Borough’s 2-0 cup defeat at Kendal Town on Tuesday night could end up working in their favour.

Strikers Caldon Henson and Kevin Sanasy, along with midfielders Darren Thornton and Jake Hibbs, hitched a ride to the Lancashire FA Trophy second round match with chairman Bernard Manning Jnr.

But they ended up arriving 30 minutes after kick-off, leaving Glendon with just 11 players to start the match with.

“It actually worked out well for us in the end because it gave us the chance to run the rule over a couple of potential signings,” he said.

“We were always going to give these lads some game time, but it just meant I had to play them from the start and was probably given a bit longer to take a proper look at them.”

The Boro boss drafted in young wide men Rick Sappell, from Mossley, and James Green, from Salford.

“It would be unfair to make any judgements on one match – I need to see them both playing again before making up my mind – but they could well give us something,” said Glendon.

“They are both attacking wide men who can also play further upfield. With the way the squad was on Tuesday, I actually ended up playing James at full-back, but they could give us much-needed options.”

The Stainton Park outfit have been hampered by long-term injuries and picked up further bad news on Tuesday when Danny White limped off with a groin strain on the half hour.

He could now face at least two weeks out.

“Losing Danny was a blow,” said Glendon.

“We have got a pretty busy treatment room at the moment, with Sam Grimshaw looking like he is six weeks away and Danny Lambert out for another month at least.

“So we are short on players, but I have tried not to give too many trialists a run out in league matches because of our situation.

“We need the points at the moment, and while we want to win every game, I felt it was more appropriate to have a look at them in the cup.”

Glendon may well have seen enough, however, to give Sappell and Green more game time in this weekend’s tough trip to seventh-placed Clitheroe.

It will be their fourth meeting with the Lancashire club already this season, with Boro running out 3-0 winners twice – in the Doodson Sport Cup and an FA Trophy replay after the original tie was drawn 3-3.

“The boys can take great confidence from their previous wins against Clitheroe, but this is obviously the league so we expect it to be a little different,” he said.