Shaun Goater dropped out of Kyle Lightbourne?s Digicel Cup squad less than 24 hours before he was due to fly out to the Caribbean.

An injury to Reading striker Dave Kitson forced the legendary frontman to pull out of the trip with an apologetic phone call to close friend Lightbourne at 9 o?clock Sunday morning ? less than a day before the squad left Bermuda for the three-game tournament.

And in a bizarre twist, Lightbourne lost another striker at an even later stage when PHC?s Antwon Russell refused to board the American Airlines flight yesterday morning with his team-mates because of an apparent fear of flying ? with even the plane?s pilot unsuccessfully attempting to talk him into making the trip.

The late withdrawals forced Bermuda Football Association to scour the Island for replacement strikers, with North Village?s Jemieko Jennings and Boulevard?s super-sub Marvin Belboda filling the void.

The two slightly surprising choices were hoping to join up with the squad for the Group E games, although the BFA were unable to secure them flights yesterday.

This leaves the players unable to join up with their team-mates until tomorrow, the first day of the competition when Bermuda are scheduled to play St. Vincent ? although this is also now up in the air (see story this page).

Lightbourne will be forced to field a bench of just 15 players for the opening game, with Kentoine Jennings serving a one-game suspension and the two replacements due to arrive only hours before the scheduled kick-off.

But it is the loss of Goater, recently recovered from a groin injury, that will be the biggest blow to Lightbourne who had planned on the former Man City?s inclusion after he won a race to be fit after a recurrence of his calf problem.

The Reading striker told Lightbourne on Wednesday he would be fit but an injury to team-mate Kitson on Saturday afternoon left the Royals with just one fit striker, and Goater got an early-morning call on Sunday from the team?s management to ask him to stay.

Goater then made an apologetic call to Lightbourne who immediately began a search for a replacement. It is understood Reading will compensate the BFA for the cost of Goater?s flight and the flight for the new squad member.

Russell, meanwhile, forced an even later ? and somewhat unfortunate ? change to Lightbourne?s squad after failing to make the flight to New York yesterday.

He turned up with his team-mates at the airport but at the last minute a fear of flying that not even the pilot could talk him out of meant a second replacement was needed. It was understood that Russell was physically sick on the runway such was the enormity of his concerns.

His sudden withdrawal is all the more unfortunate given that it is believed that Russell flew to England this summer with PHC on a club tour.

?Shaun couldn?t make it, so we have gone without him,? said assistant coach Paul Scope, speaking from New York.

?And we had another slight problem at the airport as Antwon Russell was unable to fly. But we have two replacements coming down so we have a full squad, a full complement and we are very happy with the replacements.

?Obviously it is a shame about Shaun but this gives in-form strikers like Aljame Zuill and Khano Smith a chance to step up.

?We are relaxed and looking forward to the opening game.?

One piece of good news for Lightbourne, however, is that Philadelphia KiXX striker John Barry Nusum, due to meet his team-mates in New York, successfully joined up with the squad at JFK Airport.

The team encountered a slight problem upon their arrival in Barbados as heavy rain forced them to remain on the plane after it landed.

They overnight on the island before making the short flight to St. Vincent this morning for a final training session on the Arnos Vale Playing field pitch.