SHAUN Dyke and Mat Jones will be playing their farewell games for Winchester City when the Sydenhams Wessex League leaders host Cowes Sports tonight.

Although right wing-back Dyke, pictured above, completed his move to Eastleigh yesterday, the Ryman Premier promotion chasers have agreed to let him play one final game for City to help them through an injury crisis.

Defender Jones is also willing to help out one last time before linking up with Winchester's former director of football David Malone, who is now on the board at Salisbury City.

With Liam Green, Mark Smith and broken toe victim Mark Jones already injured, City suffered yet more casualties in Saturday's 3-0 win at Alton.

Ian Mancey has calf trouble, young defender Jamie Austen hurt his knee and, having used all three subs, City played the last 20 minutes with ten men after Woking and Basingstoke target Lloyd Webber limped off with ankle damage.

Team boss Neil Hards said: "Eastleigh manager Paul Doswell knew we were struggling for tonight and it was a nice gesture by him to suggest we keep Dykey for tonight.

"We always knew Dykey was going to leave at the end of the season and all that's happened is that he's done so eight weeks early. He goes to Eastleigh with our best wishes.

"As for Mat Jones, he's been totally up front with me. Moving to Salisbury is not so much about money for him as the level of football they play. He was in two minds about leaving us because he's enjoyed his short time here."

Former Bashley skipper Jones only joined Winchester last month, ironically to help lighten the wage bill at the New Forest club. His arrival coincided with Malone's brief return following his November resignation.

The financial implications of Malone's latest departure mean City must offload some players in order to cover the wage bill at the end of the month. Failure to pay their contract players would effectively make them free agents.

Hards clarified: "At the moment the contract players have been paid and they're all still here, except for Dykey, but if we can't afford to pay them that could change.

"I'm not going to stop them going elsewhere; I can't if their contracts are broken.

"It's human nature that some want to go higher. Matt Bicknell (also wanted by Basingstoke) has won the Wessex title three times with ourselves and Andover and wants to push on the same as Dykey. I can't blame him for that. Players can only take so many knockbacks.

"But the feedback I get is that a hard core of seven or eight players are happy to stick around at least until the end of the season and that's the same for me, Greener (assistant manager Gary Green) and Mossy (coach Steve Moss).

"We wouldn't just walk away now because it's not fair on the people who are working so hard to try and resurrect things at Winchester.

"At this moment, I haven't got a clue what side we can put out at home to Moneyfields on Saturday, I just take each game as it comes.

"Who knows what the playing situation will be next week? But one thing I do know is that there are too many good people at this club to let it fold."