Paul Hurst remains wary of Donovan Wilson’s fitness, saying that he doesn’t believe the player is yet ready to play a full game as he looks to protect a key asset for the team.
The 26-year-old has been a shining light in a dark moment for the team, having got himself in the goals straight away after making his long-awaited return from a pre-season injury in the last few weeks, but his health is still being closely monitored.
It is difficult for the manager to take him out of games when he is in good form and boosts the team’s chances greatly when he is out there, especially when they are going through a rough moment in terms of results.
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However, based on the evidence so far, Hurst is confident that he has to remain disciplined with his usage of the forward, which means not yet risking him for a full game which could lead to another absence.
The Mariners boss said: “There was an element [of the Stockport game] that showed that he is not ready to play a full 90 minutes for us when he was on the pitch he did well but it is still about building him up.
“What no one wants to do is lose him again and not have him, available for an extended period of time. It was just cramp in this circumstance as far as I’m aware.
“He is getting the goals and has looked a threat in most games he has played but unfortunately we can’t keep him on for the full 90 minutes at the moment. We obviously want him out there with the form we’re in and the form he has been in when he has been on the pitch.”
Injuries have plagued the team at points already this season, which has obviously not helped them in their search for improvement and a way to break out of a bad spell of form with a consistent run of results.
Being able to pick up some consistency with team selection was always a goal or more a hope for Hurst coming into this campaign, making signings in the summer that he thought could make a real difference and quickly cement a place in the team.
Some have been able to do that to an extent but Wilson’s injury has not allowed him to do that yet and the team as a whole have not quite put it together to get the points tally they were hoping for at this stage.
Original story at https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/