The final ten minutes of Saturday’s game saw a return to the competitive arena for Jamie Devitt for the first time since the beginning of September, and a very welcome sight it was too.
With the lively midfielder having notched up the full 90 in the midweek reserve game against Blackpool, it signalled a hugely positive week for a player everyone is desperate to see back in the fold.
“It’s good and we’ve just got to keep looking after him,” manager Paul Simpson said. “We’ve got to manage him because he’s had a really tough time.
“We hope we can manage his load so that he’s able to stay out there and stay available for us. We have to build him up at the same time as making sure we don’t overwork him.
“He’s got to manage himself as well, and be honest about it. Unfortunately he is, in terms of the injuries he’s had, quite fragile in some areas. He’s picking up muscular injuries.
“There’s an element of bad luck in there as well. When he picked up the thigh strain it wasn’t from overworking, it was literally 30 seconds into an 11v11 we did.
“It’s just unfortunate, he’s had a really bad run of luck, picked up things, and that’s why he has to manage himself as well as us doing our bit for him as well. We want him to be available more than he has been so far.”
Tuesday night’s Fred Conway Cumberland Cup second-round meeting with Bransty Rangers provides another opportunity for some players to get more pitch time under their belts.
“I thought all of the players who played last Tuesday showed that it was glaringly obvious that they need minutes,” the gaffer told us.
“They need to be ready when they come on or come into the team, so we’ve got to keep working with them all.
“So, yes, some of them will play against Bransty, but I haven’t quite confirmed yet who will play. Some of the pros will be involved.
“I’ve got to balance it because obviously we had the unfortunate situation with Ben Barclay getting smashed against Blackpool, and he’ll now be out for however long.
“I want to try to make sure we’ve got enough players available, but they also have to be fit enough to affect our league games when they’re needed.
“We’ve got a big run of games coming up with Barrow, Northampton, Bradford and the whole of the Christmas period of fixtures. We need as many available as possible for that.”
“This Tuesday we might decide it’s one of them games where we may get more physical benefit by training, then doing it,” he added. “So it may be that they won’t all play as they did in the game against Blackpool.
“We’ll make that decision between now and Tuesday. Hopefully we get ourselves through to the next round of the County Cup, but also make sure we have the right training group to prepare properly for Barrow at home.
“Any who do play Tuesday, they have to do more, for themselves in terms of their individual performances. They’ve got to make sure they use it to their advantage so they’re all fit enough when they get their opportunity with the first team and that they’re able to perform.”