It feels like the season is upon us, and even more so when the regular chats with the first-team manager venture into the realms of an injury update.
“We played Morton behind closed doors on Tuesday and we were fine after it,” he said. “Tobi Sho-Silva had a little bit of an issue but he’s fine, he trained again today.
“The longer-term injured we have are doing really well. They’re working on a daily basis with Geoff Haugh and doing their stuff in the gym.
“Josh [Dixon] and Joel [Senior] still aren’t able to get out on the grass, theirs is more gym-based work. They’re both doing really well and they’re showing a great attitude towards it, because it is tough.
“Ryan Edmondson missed the game on Tuesday, just with a slight tightness in his quad, but he’s trained this week and he’s available.
“Omari Patrick has missed a few games now, he’s still not right, so he won’t be involved at the weekend. We’re hoping he’ll be fit for the start of the season.”
“The other one is we had Scott Simons who was going to go and play in a game this weekend, but unfortunately he damaged his shoulder in a keeper warm-up drill in training,” he continued. “He popped his shoulder out of his socket and it then worked its way back in.
“He’s been to see a specialist and had a scan. If he needs surgery he’s looking at four months, which is a massive blow for him and us. There could have been an opportunity for him to go out and get some games, but that won’t happen now.
“Even with that, there was always a thought process that we need another goalkeeper. It’s just trying to find the right one.
“Tomas we’re looking at as our number one goalkeeper, Gabe has done really well, and in fact over the last week has started to look more solid and a bit more grown-up.
“If we could find the right number two to bring in, then I would be doing it. But again, it’s a really difficult one, because I don’t want to keep talking about budgets, but priorities are in other areas and that’s where I’m looking to spend the money in.
“If we get the right players in and there’s money left over that we can get another goalkeeper, that’s what we’ll have to do.”
But he confirmed that the current injury situation with Omari Patrick won’t exclude him from the trip to Largs next week.
“He’ll be coming,” he confirmed. “We’re really hoping that Omari will be fit at some point next week, fit to join in.
“He’s still got some discomfort now, so he won’t be involved against Bolton. I’m not prepared to rush him. It’s a bit of bruising on the bone and we need to make sure it’s right.
“If he misses two or three pre-season games, and in truth, if he has to miss one league game to make sure he gets rid of the problem and he’s ok moving forward, that’s what we’ll do with him.”
And on Jamie Devitt, who is training with the group, he commented: “We’re no closer to a decision yet. He’s continuing to train with us and he’ll get an opportunity over the next week.
“He’s not putting pressure on to get a decision yet, so I’ll keep looking at him. I’m not trying to be clever about it, or using him, we need to be sure he’s going to be right.
“As I’ve said before, it won’t be for sentimental reasons, I have to know that it isn’t just going to be a cameo appearance here there and everywhere.
“He has to be able to physically deal with a run of games. He’s been fit now for coming up to two weeks and he’ll be involved in the Bolton game and the training game next week.
“We may have to come to a point when we get back from Scotland that we start to look at a decision.”