Indoor pro David Bascome has been left frustrated after his injury-hit Baltimore side couldn?t risk releasing him for Digicel Cup duty.

Bermuda?s new coach Kyle Lightbourne had welcomed back the veteran after a period in the wilderness but Blast coach Tim Wittman doesn?t want his star man to leave last year?s Major Indoor Soccer League champions for fear he will join the club?s ever-expanding injury list.

Seven players are currently sidelined with long-term injuries for the Blast and with only 16 players allowed on a team?s roster, they have been going into games with just nine players.

Although next week is a rest period for the team, and Bascome would not actually miss any league games, the coach doesn?t want to risk losing yet another player, especially one who is only 80 percent fit anyway following knee surgery in the summer.

?It is very frustrating,? said Bascome, who was left out in the cold by former national coach Kenny Thompson over concerns that the indoor game was too different from the outdoor version.

?I really want to represent my country again and it is a shame that just as I am accepted back into the squad, my club side are hit with this injury crisis ? it is so bad even our coach has had to register as an emergency player.

?I have spoken to Kyle (Lightbourne) about it and he says he understands my decision. We have talked about me coming back for the second round and that is what I am hoping to do.

?It is unfortunate but you have to balance the desire to represent your country with the needs of your club and my club really needs me at the moment.

?The coach really doesn?t want me to go away. He wants me resting up for that week, not off playing international football. If we didn?t have so many injuries here I could probably take a month off and get fully fit again but that is not going to happen now.?

Bascome, whose name was made in the indoor league as a goalscorer with the Harrisburg Heat, has had to adjust his game this season, playing a more defensive role ? mostly because of the problems with his knee.

?I am probably about 80 percent at the moment,? said Bascome, recently awarded an MBE for services to soccer.

?I had surgery on my knee and it is not right yet. I am having to play around it at the moment, playing a more defensive midfielder role. It is a case of doing whatever is needed at the moment ? it really is crisis time here.

?We are desperately trying to sign players at the moment. We are struggling a bit and our results have reflected that.

?To go away now would be pretty irresponsible given how short we are on numbers.?

Bascome asserted, however, that he definitely wanted to be involved with the national side in December for the second round, a stage of the competition he believes Bermuda will have no problem reaching.

?I think we have a strong enough squad to go down to St. Vincent and get the job done,? continued Bascome, who played against John Barry Nusum twice last week when the Blast took on the Philadelphia KIXX, with the younger player scoring four goals in his side?s back-to-back victories.

?They should have no problems making it through to the next round and hopefully I will be free to play by then.

?We?re not actually expecting any of our guys back from injury for another three weeks, but if the situation improves at the Blast then I hope to be available.

?I have spoken to Kyle and he seems okay with it all.?

Nusum, who was voted offensive player of the week in the MISL for his performances against the Blast, will be available for selection for Lightbourne for next week?s games against St. Vincent, Cayman and the British Virgin Islands as will Damon Ming, who has been playing for Barnet in the UK semi-professional league.

Lightbourne names his 18-man squad tomorrow.