Injury list easing to give JFH tough calls
BURTON Albion’s injury list is beginning to clear – and that will give Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink some extra selection problems as he prepares his squad to face Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road today (3pm).
The manager knows that he cannot keep everyone happy with what, for the Brewers, is a relatively big squad – and he says he wants players to be angry if they are not included.
Hasselbaink admits that he was not expecting to have such a big squad but that early season injuries forced his hand.
Now, though, only Michael Mancienne remains sidelined of the senior players who were named in the official list of 22 outfield players aged over 21 submitted to the EFL when the transfer window closed.
Longer-term injury victims Louis Moult and Kieran Wallace were not named in the 22.
All over the pitch, the competition for a place now looks fierce.
“I want people to have competition for places, pushing each other and wanting to keep the shirt,” said Hasselbaink.
“I think, like that, you can get the best out of people, when they feel like somebody could take their place.
“That’s what we want. We never planned to have this amount of players. Normally we work with a smaller group.
“But we always wanted to have the quality high. Unfortunately, we had long-term injuries and we had to do something in the market.
“Now, players are coming back and the competition is high. It gives me a headache, but one that I want and I’m looking forward to it.”
Apart from the injured, club captain John Brayford is available again in defence after serving a one-match suspension for his sending off againast Bolton Wanderers.
Ryan Leak has also shaken off a slight thigh injury that Hasselbaink said had more to do with fatigue, so both of those defenders will be challenging for a back four return.
Competition looks even hotted in central midield, where the two who started the first two games of the season in the position, Tom O’Connor and Deji Oshilaja, are back in training. They are up against new signing Charlie Leak, Bryn Morris and Terry Taylor for a place today.
“John Brayford is back. Tom O’Connor started training on Thursday with the group and has had one really good session,” said Hasselbaink.
“Today (Friday) the session was short and more tactical, which was good because it would not be good to be pushing him two days in a row at this stage.
“The injury list is getting smaller. We have (forward) Jacob Maddox and Deji Oshilaja back training too. Danny Rowe is back and Ryan Leak is back.”
In other circumstances, Hasselbaink says he would not have given his last signing, Lakin, an immediate debut last week.
“We had to throw Charlie in straightaway because of injuries,” he said.
“Normally, I would have wanted to give him at least a week to get himself going.
“He has a lot of experience and he understands it but he has also found it quite difficult, with the intensity, with how we train and how the league is.”
Lakin had been on loan from Birmingham City with Ross County in Scotland prior to signing for Burton.
“With all due respect to the Scottish League, this one is a little bit quicker, more robust, with more tackles and physical aspects,” added Hasselbaink.
“He needed to adjust.”
BELPER’S Terry Fletcher is in the England squad for next week’s first NHS Challenge Trophy match, for players aged 70 and over.
The 74-year-old is in the squad that will face Wales in the game at St George’s Park on Thursday, September 23, with former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher in charge.
One of the England players, 79-year-old John Shannon Jnr, a
former Rolls-Royce employee in Derby who now lives in Cambridge, will be watched by his 104-year-old father John Snr.
England player/manager Ken Pollock said: “The recent pandemic has shown the importance of physical fitness, as statistically exercise has been a preventative and curative agent for older people.
“To mark this, we have called the cup The NHS Challenge Trophy, to reflect our gratitude for their work over the last 18 months.
“Attending the game, we are lucky enough to have the Shannons, father and son, aged 104 and 79 respectively, watching and playing. There is no finer testament to the benefits of our game than can be found in their match day attendance.”
The match will be played on one of St George’s indoor pitches (2pm).