Airdrie director Stuart Millar admits injury to striker Ally Roy is a major blow for the club - but they won't be signing a replacement.
Roy landed awkwardly on his wrist in the first half of a 2-0 Betfred Cup defeat at home to Alloa on Wednesday, and has undergone an operation that will sideline him for 'several weeks', according to a club statement.
But Millar says finances dictate that boss Ian Murray will need to use the squad he currently has until Roy's return.
Director of football Millar said: It's a concern because Ally was playing ever so well in pre-season, terrific.
"On Wednesday he looked really sharp and as if he was going to get a goal, so that's a big blow to us, but it's a bigger blow to Ally, to be perfectly honest.
"After an up and down season he was wanting to really establish himself. The club stuck by him by giving him a new contract and he certainly was repaying us, so it's disappointing and a shame for Ally, who is a lovely lad.
"I've told him that if he had a hamstring pull he would be out longer than he will be for this, so he will be back and we look forward to his return, but we need to make do without him just now.
"We've got Calum Gallagher, Dale Carrick, we've brought Kyle Connell in from Kilmarnock, so we are covered.
"Like everyone else you want more of a choice and different types of strikers, but we've got to work within the budget and we're doing that."
Millar added: "We can't strengthen, the finances dictate for all the clubs. There are no fans coming in, and what we've got is what we need to go with. It's changed days from when you used cup competitions to assess how it is for the league - it's what we've got and we will try and make the most of it.
"It's a good group we've got, they've been training hard for a number of weeks, and the fitness is not a problem, it's just that everybody has a smaller squad, and you need to work with that.
"If you get injuries or viruses, you've got to work round about that, but we can't go out and bring in players if such and such hasn't played well.
"We did bring in Kyle Connell on Monday, thanks to Kilmarnock, but he doesn't join up with us until this coming Thursday.
"We're fine with what we've got."
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