Hard Knock Life

…and as the team prepare for their final three games of the league campaign, starting with the long trip to face Carlisle United on Saturday, performance manager John Harbin has said that a lot of the players are playing through the pain barrier.

“This time of year there’s not one player in the team that’s 100% fit," said John. "Every player is carrying some slight [injury], and it might just be the slightest of strains - that’s at every club in the country.

“By the time the season finishes, and counting the pre-season games, some of these boys have played 60 games. Reuben Reid and people like Curtis (Nelson) and Carl McHugh have played in the bulk of those games, and Luke McCormick I don’t think has missed one, so they’ve played in the vicinity of 60 games. When you work it out, there’s about 40 weeks in the season, so it’s an average of one and a half games a week."

There is one player who misses out on the vital trip to Carlisle however. John said: “Fitness wise the only question mark at this stage is Olly Lee. With his last shot right at the end of the game he did some slight damage, groin damage; it’s not serious but probably the game has come around too quick for him. 

“The travel up there wouldn’t help that type of injury sitting on the coach all the time so there’s certainly some question marks there.”