MARK Collier says that he will take his time to assess the potency of Chippenham Town’s frontline options before deciding how best to replace Ashan Holgate.

The 29-year-old former Swindon Town striker, who joined the Bluebirds just over a year ago, is set to miss the rest of the current campaign with a knee injury and this week agreed to be released from his contract at Hardenhuish Park.

Collier is now weighing up his next move as he prepares for life without Holgate, who had found the net four times this season and also played for the Chippenham chief at Swindon Supermarine.

After returning to the club at the beginning of the month, Alan Griffin is set to be at Collier’s disposal for the remainder of the season, providing a similar physical threat up top to Holgate, but the likes of Lee Phillips, Andy Sandell and Alex Ferguson are still on their way back from injury, with Ollie Taylor’s work commitments also hampering his availability.

“Ashan is due for an operation before Christmas and it’s looking like he’ll be out for the rest of the season so after a conversation with him, he was happy to be let go from his contract with us,” said Collier.

“Injuries are part and parcel of the game but it’s a shame to see him go and hopefully his rehab goes well.

“Because he was on contract, it does give me the opportunity to bring someone else in but it’s not something that I’m going to rush into.

“Alan Griffin has made himself available for selection for the rest of the season and that’s good news for us – there aren’t too many midweek games at the moment, which is important because we have to manage his knee injury.

“Things are difficult for Ollie Taylor at the moment because of the nature of his job and Lee Phillips is still coming back from his injury. Andy Sandell and Alex Ferguson have also had hamstring problems, so we need to see when they’ll be back.”

The Bluebirds, who were without a fixture last weekend, travel to Dorchester Town on Saturday and should welcome back Greg Tindle and Luke Ballinger.