Wanderers will have to break up the best defence in the league when they play Notts County on Friday after the Canadian national squad refused Mark Rogers permission to fly out separately, after the match (Oct 3).

The Blues back four of Rogers, Jamie Bates, Paul McCarthy and Chris Vinnicombe kept their fifth clean sheet of the season as Wanderers returned from Port Vale with a 1-0 win last Saturday.

But that rearguard will be broken up for the first time this season on Friday as Rogers links up with Canada. The right back has been called up into Canada's World Cup squad for the first time in his career for their qualifier against Panama in Winnipeg next Monday.

Wanderers had asked the Canadian team bosses for special permission for Rogers to fly out on Saturday, after the Notts County match, but the Canadians refused.

Blues boss Lawrie Sanchez said: "They want him to fly out on Thursday and we've got to abide by that."

Wanderers' scrooge-like defence has been the cornerstone of the club's rise to fifth place in the table this season.

They have only conceded five goals in their ten league matches so far, an average of just one goal every two games.

Wanderers will also be without midfielder Mo Harkin on Friday. He has again been named in the Northern Ireland Under-21 squad to face Denmark in Belfast.

Sanchez said: "It shows the progress that this club has made that we've got two people away on international duty."

Wanderers and their internationals were too good for struggling Port Vale at the weekend when the defence was outstanding again as Blues heaped the pressure on under-fire Vale boss Brian Horton.

Angry Valiants fans held a demonstration afterwards calling for Horton's head and his fate will be decided at a board meeting called for later this week.