Sidelined Guy Butters today admitted he might miss the start of the League One season.

Albion's man mountain defender is making painfully slow process in his bid to shake off a back problem.

Butters missed his third successive pre-season freindly as he watched Tuesday's 11-0 stroll against RC Port du Havre.

He has managed just 45 unconvincing minutes at Worthing so far as back spasms make it impossible for him to play, train or even sit down for long.

Asked if he would be fit for the League opener at Rotherham on August 5, he said: "I'm not sure about that. I take each day as it comes and keep my fingers crossed it won't be too long."

Butters first felt the injury during an aquarobics session ten days ago.

He said: "I felt my back get a bit stiff. By the time we finished it had stiffened right up.

"It went into spasm and it doesn't seem to have got much better.

"I'm just trying to get more movement, get the spasms to back down and hopefully get a bit more mobility in my back.

"I'm just having to wait and see how it goes.

"They said if it continues they will have to look into it a bit further.

"I don't know what that means, whether it's a scan or something. It's a bit of a worry because I seem to be all right and then the minute I sit down it all goes haywire again."

Butters is hoping he can catch up on days of hard running he will have missed, although a recent trip to an osteopath failed to clear the problem.