Illness seems to have ended Jack Lampe’s career at St Albans City before it had even begun.

The Saints signed Lampe from Concord Rangers this summer but the defender has played just 45 minutes of pre-season after coming down with an illness.

The club initially said it was a chest infection.

“He’s probably not going to join us now. He’s been out too long to be in contention to start,” joint manager James Gray told the club’s website.

It’s another blow to City’s defensive ranks after Omar Beckles joined National League outfit Aldershot Town last week. St Albans have brought back former captain Ben Martin to patch the hole and are still looking to add further strength.

“We don’t want to leave ourselves too light,” he said.

“We’re looking to strengthen a couple of positions; we want to impose ourselves better on the pitch.”