EXETER City manager Paul Tisdale will be forced into at least one change to the starting line-up for Saturday's game with Stevenage Borough as David Noble's loan deal with the club has run out.
The popular 32-year-old midfielder has started the last five games for City as they have picked up three wins and two draws to propel themselves into the play-off places.
However, Noble was signed on an emergency loan deal from Oldham Athletic in the first week of September which has now expired.
That means that, despite having already agreed to sign for City on a permanent basis in January, he will be ruled out for the final three games of 2014.
Tisdale admitted losing Noble was a blow, but they had players to bring into the side, with Liam Sercombe recovering from a groin strain that ruled him out of the 2-0 win over Carlisle United on Saturday and Ryan Harley regaining his match sharpness.
"We certainly can carry a loss or two because we are building a nicely balanced, deep squad," said the City manager.
"We have got other players who can play in his position. We have got Ryan Harley, who has now trained for a few weeks, played a couple of cameo roles and he is getting closer to being match fit.
"Liam Sercombe should be back from injury this week as well, so I have got bodies and good, experienced midfield players.
"So it is possible to absorb that loss but I would rather not, because David has been doing very well.
"He has become a pivotal player in the middle of the pitch."
Noble joined City before their 1-1 draw at home to Oxford United on September 13.
Since then the Grecians have lost just one league game in 15.
If they manage to avoid a loss at Broadhall Way on Saturday they will stretch their current unbeaten run to 10 league games, something they haven't managed to achieve since early 2008 when they were in the Conference.
Oddly enough their biggest victory in that stretch of games was a 4-0 triumph over Stevenage. However, Graham Westley was not in charge of Stevenage at that time.
The successful boss, who led the club from the Conference to League One, has since returned to the Boro for his third spell in charge. Tisdale thinks, despite their slow start, Westley will get them challenging soon.
"I'm sure, with his experience and knowledge of the club, they will get them moving again and he will put together a promotion-type team," said Tisdale.
"He has been there a number of times in the past six or seven years and it is always a very difficult place to go and play. I do look at the game and think, 'we need to be particularly focussed,' because we won't be given anything. We will have to work for our game."
Added to Harley and Sercombe pushing for places in the starting line-up, City also have Jamie Reid and Jordan Moore-Taylor returning from injury. They are unlikely to start Saturday's game, but could be involved from the bench.
Reid's return increases the competition for places up front, with Alex Nicholls, Clinton Morrison, David Wheeler, Scot Bennett, Tom Nichols, Graham Cummins and Jimmy Keohane also pushing for two or three starting roles up front.
However, Tisdale admitted it was a good problem to have, but with the flexible tactics he employs every forward player is in with a realistic chance of starting.
"It is not as if I'm stuck on a very conventional, two-up-top, old-fashioned, target-man-and-goalscorer formation," said Tisdale.
"We play a more fluid style and the players have got to be fluid in their ability. At the moment, we have got five or six players competing for places and because it is a very fluid situation as well we can play different tactics game-by-game, half-by-half. So we have suddenly got good options.
"I can select a team on merit, who is playing and training well. That is a really good thing for a manager, being able to select those that have been performing well in training.
"I have also got players I can select game-by-game based on the type of game we need to play and the opposition.
"It is a good place to be, it does bring its own selection and management issues, but it is a good problem to have."
