Albion manager Mark McGhee has admitted he does not know when Ben Roberts will be fit to challenge Michel Kuipers for the No.1 spot.
Roberts has been out since the start of the season with a recurrence of a mystery back complaint.
Medical checks have so far failed to shed any light on a possible cure.
McGhee said: "He's had the problem before. We have been over his medical records in detail since 1996 and it is fairly repetitive.
"Nobody has ever really got to the bottom of it. It's a bit of a mystery and we are still working to try and put it right."
Third-year scholar Chris May, who has been on the bench for the first team, keeps goal for the reserves tonight against Southend in their opening fixture in the Pontin's Holidays Combination League at Worthing (7pm).
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