Last week, Justo Rodriguez shifted from leftback to rightback to fill in for Josling, so will likely stay there tomorrow.
Kuba Jerabek is expected to be well enough recovered from a calf injury to start at leftback, and Daniel Venema looks set to start at centreback in place of Batarrita, alongside Ryan Anderson.
Skipper Nick Land will be free to return to his holding midfield role alongside Cullen Spawforth after filling in at the back for Batarrita last week.
That will leave Tomek Frooms to play a creative attacking role just behind front-runners Oli Davies, Jimmy Somerton and Sam Patterson.
Blair said he understood that North End had a few former National League and Central League players in their ranks, which could mean they were a team of veterans.
But he will warn his side against taking them lightly.
Sixth-placed North End have played every team above them on the table — except fourth-placed Thistle — and their biggest loss has been 4-2 at home to Palmerston North Marist. All their other losses have been by one goal. They beat fifth-placed Whanganui Athletic away, 1-0, and at home beat eighth-placed Levin 6-1.
Apart from the Levin game, North End have found goals hard to come by, but they have not conceded many, either . . . nine in six games.
So Thistle will find North End no pushovers, but the Jags’ use of air travel to the more distant games gives them the advantage of arriving at away grounds fresher than they would feel after a long road trip.
Blair said flying to away games allowed players to settle more easily into their match-day routines.
“From a football point of view, flying is definitely a better option for us than road travel. The question is whether we can afford to continue doing it.
“Funders have been really supportive
. . . 90 percent of our travel expenses this year have been covered by funders, and we have broadened our net to seek help from more of them.”
Gisborne United player-coach Kieran Venema will start tomorrow’s game against Western Rangers in the holding midfield role vacated by James Bristow, who can’t travel tomorrow because of work commitments.
Venema plans to stick with the use of two holding midfielders — skipper Dane Thompson will be alongside him — and allow Corey Adams to feed and link up with the speedy attack of Josh Harris, Josh Adams and Sam Royston.
Venema is also likely to stay with the defence of rightback Adam Simpson, leftback Malcolm Marfell and centrebacks Mal Scammell and Kieran Higham, with Corey Boocock ready to come on if required.
United lie second in the competition with a game in hand. Western Rangers are sixth and have had a mixed bag of results — a win, a draw and four losses; 12 goals for, 22 against. United should win, but Rangers on their home ground can never be taken for granted.
