WINCHESTER City have a couple irons in the fire to counteract the loss of club skipper and midfielder Jamie Barron.

Barron’s departure to Gosport Borough came as a mammoth blow to City boss Ian Saunders who had expected him back from a three-match ban to face Tiverton Town at home on Saturday.

But, on a personal level, Saunders accepts that stepping up the ladder to the National League South with Gosport was too good an opportunity for ex-Follands man Barron to turn down.

“I’m disappointed to say the least, we’d been waiting for him to come back from suspension, but it’s a great chance for him to go and play in the Conference South,” he said.

“Jamie’s 27, which is not old by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes you don’t get the opportunity at that age.

“We’ve got the feelers out for one or two new faces.

“We put out a couple of seven-day notices of approach at the end of last week just to safeguard ourselves when we heard about Gosport’s interest in Jamie.”

Winchester, who follow Saturday's game with a Bank Holiday Monday trip to Wimborne Town, are hoping the other Jamie – gritty ex-Eastleigh and Gosport midfielder Jamie Brown – will be raring to go again after a calf problem.

“One minute we're looking quite affluent in the midfield area and the next it all changes when you get a couple of injuries and someone moving on,” reflected new boss Saunders, who is still finding his feet after taking over from Paul Masters shortly before the start of the season.

City have picked up just three points from a possible 12, but Saunders said: “I’m confident that once we’ve had a few more (training) sessions together and we’re able to keep a similar side, we will hit the ground running. We just need to get a couple more players in to finish off the squad.

“Hopefully Jamie Brown will be back this weekend, but unfortunately Adam Tomasso has an ankle injury.”

Striker Howard Neighbour needed seven stitches in his top lip after taking an elbow to the face in the FA Cup win at US Portsmouth last week.

“They’re dissolvable stitches, so hopefully they’ll have gone in time for tomorrow. We hope he’ll be ok,” said the boss.

“It’ll be a tough one against Tiverton and travelling to Wimborne on a Bank Holiday Monday will be a trial in itself!”

*Jamie Barron could be one of two new midfielders to arrive at Gosport this week. Borough have also been linked with ex-AFC Bournemouth youngster Josh Carmichael, who previously had a loan spell at Privett Park and who recently trialled with Eastleigh.