THE absence of Carl Fletcher and Krisztián Timár was keenly felt by Argyle in the 2-1 Carling Cup defeat at Gillingham on Tuesday night.

Fletch was ruled-out soon after the weekend draw at Crystal Palace with a dead leg, but the decision to withdraw Timár because of a sore ankle was taken at the last minute.

The two losses forced manager Paul Sturrock into shuffling his side around when he had hoped to start with the same 11 thrust into duty at Selhurst Park.

"Timár was injured and didn't travel - he has rolled his ankle," said Luggy.

"We all thought it was just a niggling knock but when he got up for the day we were to travel, it was far worse than we expected.

"Fletcher, a key player, was also missing tonight. He is a [missing] ingredient that shows when he isn't pulling the strings.

"If Timár and Fletcher hadn't dropped out, the team would have been identical [to Crystal Palace]."