The Admirals have forfeited their final two games of the season

The Plymouth Admirals American football team have been forced to forfeit their final two league games of the season.

An unprecedented number of injuries and unavailable players means that Sunday's 36-12 defeat to the Hampshire Thrashers will be their last game of 2008.

The decision not to fulfill their fixtures comes less than a week after head coach Steve Perry said he would quit his role at the end of the season.

Admirals were set to face the Cornish Sharks and South Wales Warriors.

General manager Sam Holder-Mark said: "History shows that we are not a team afraid to play games with small squads, home or away, and even if the outcome is likely to be a heavy defeat. We've done that before and would do it again.

It is a bitter blow that it has occurred whilst I am general manager Sam Holder-Mark

"But this season the line has been crossed between difficult and dangerous which is the reason this most difficult of decisions has been taken by the coaching staff and management committee."

The club, who play in South West Conference Division Two of the British American Football League, saw three more players suffer season ending injuries against the Thrashers and four more players from that squad unavailable for the rest of the season.

"In the club's 24-year history this is only the second time that a season has ended prematurely," Holder-Mark added.

"It is a bitter blow personally that it has occurred whilst I am general manager of the club, but at this time we can only offer our assurance that we are already taking steps to ensure that there is not a third time."