Injury shatters Carroll’s season
But Turnbull edges closer to return
STEPHEN Robinson has pledged that Motherwell will give Jake Carroll the best possible care after the left-back was ruled out until next season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Carroll is facing up to seven months in rehabilitation after suffering the injury late in the epic midweek Scottish Cup tie against St Mirren, which the Fir Park side ultimately lost on penalties.
The 28-year-old had impressed since moving north from Cambridge United last summer, with manager Robinson now considering options to cover for this latest blow ahead of today’s Lanarkshire derby away to Hamilton.
There is more positive news elsewhere in an injury-hit squad, however, as midfielder David Turnbull is expecting clearance from a specialist in the near future to resume competitive action for the first time since a knee issue forced the collapse of a £3million move to Celtic.
‘It’s not good for Jake,’ said Robinson. ‘He is going to be out for six or seven months and will have an operation on his Achilles.
‘It’s a real blow for us and the boy. But he is going to be in good hands. He has a top surgeon operating on him. His Achilles has snapped completely.
‘Jake is absolutely gutted. He’s been a fantastic signing for us, a big success, and an important part of what we’ve done.
‘He is very upset by it but we will be there for him, we’ll support him and get him back again.
‘But it is probably going to be the early part of next season before he is back playing football.’
Robinson is giving consideration to available free agents but still sees potential cover for Carroll within his existing pool.
‘We will keep scouring the free market, although I’m not sure it’s a route I want to go down,’ added the Fir Park boss. ‘The board would find a way if I thought it was the right thing for the club.
‘There could be other options. Rolando Aarons has played in the Premier League at left wing-back, so he is more than capable. Richard Tait can play there as well and has been outstanding for me.
‘Charles Dunne is on his way back, so we have options in that area of the pitch. Anyone (who came in) would have to be better than what we already have.’
Chris Long and Declan Gallagher are both fit to face Accies, while Peter Hartley and Bevis Mugabi are due to restart training.
Turnbull had preventative surgery in July after tests prior to his proposed Celtic move discovered a previously undetected problem. Seven months on, the 20-year-old is on the brink of a comeback.
‘He is very close,’ said Robinson. ‘He is back in full training and has played in 11 v 11. He looks like a £3m footballer who has never been away.
‘He will get the final say from the specialist soon. I want him back now, because he looks 100-percent fit to me and a class above.
‘But we will wait for the specialist to make sure everything is absolutely 100 per cent. Nothing will be rushed.
‘David never felt any pain before it, he doesn’t feel any pain now and it doesn’t look as though he has missed a day’s training. As I say, we will wait for the okay in the coming timescale and will be very happy to see him back.’
Robinson, meanwhile, hopes his team can carry the spirit shown in the second half against St Mirren into today’s derby as they seek a first win in seven outings.
Motherwell trailed their visitors 4-1 at half-time before staging an extraordinary comeback. While a shoot-out defeat meant that was fruitless in terms of cup progression, the manager feels it should reaffirm belief as they seek to reclaim third place from Aberdeen.
‘We come away from that saying: “Is that the corner turned, ultimately?”’ said Robinson. ‘We didn’t get the result we wanted in the end with the penalties — and ours weren’t good enough.
‘But the players could have laid down and died and come out for the second half almost waiting to be beaten. We didn’t. We changed things — we changed personnel, we changed the attitude and mindsets of people.
‘What they showed was they are a bunch of boys who will give absolutely everything for the club.
‘They ran themselves into the ground and gave everything with a great degree of quality.
‘We’ve got a lot of points on the board and that’s the sort of performance that shows we’re ready to turn this around. We want to do it very quickly, starting against Hamilton.’