curleinterview6aug17

Defender Tom Parkes had his debut for the club cut short on Saturday afternoon as an awkward landing following a second half aerial challenge proved just too much for him to shake off.

Manager Keith Curle explained what had happened at his post-match press conference.

“Tom jarred his ankle,” he explained. “His whole weight has gone through his joint and put it into an unnatural position, so we’ll have to see how it settles down. He’s a big lad and I thought he was playing really well.

“He’s built up a good understanding with Mark Ellis and Gary Liddle so hopefully he’ll be ready to go again quickly. We certainly didn’t need another injury when we’re thin on the ground already, but we’ll see how it goes.”

“It might give Mark Ellis a chance and he’s been excellent in and around the group,” he continued. “He’s desperate to do well and he just wants to be part of it.

“We’ll be looking at some of the youth team players we’ve got in the building because when one door closes another one opens, and sometimes what you need is an opportunity.”

And on midfielder John O’Sullivan, who was ruled out before the season started last week, he said: “John is going to see a specialist on Monday and he’ll be having an operation, so he’s ruled out for a while.

“I think we’ve only got 15 professionals available because there was another player who took a knock during the game as well as Tom Parkes. We’ll be down to the bare bones on Tuesday but we’ll be very competitive.”

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