Boost for Magpies as Scott ‘closer’ to return
BUT STRIKER WILL BE GIVEN TIME TO REGAIN HIS FITNESS
STUART Maynard has provided an injury update on several members of the Notts County squad, including striker Cedwyn Scott, who has been out since August last year.
The 25-year-old suffered a serious knee injury in the game against Tranmere Rovers at the end of August, which has kept him out of action until this point, where he is finally ready to rejoin full training with the team ahead of a return to playing.
Maynard has not had a chance to work with Scott closely yet because of the injury, and he spoke of his excitement with the time coming to get him back involved in team training.
“We’re looking forward to working with [Cedwyn Scott],” said Maynard. “He is a buzzy character who brings a lot of energy to the training ground when he is around. He’s close to a full recovery now, he’s back on the grass.
“He’s getting closer and closer, but we’ve just got to be careful in introducing him back into the squad at the right time. It’s about getting a full week of training with the rest of the squad behind him so he can readjust to the intensity of the preparation.
“We have to make sure he doesn’t break down again because he is so important to this football club, not just for the rest of this season but moving forward as well, so we’ve just got to get him right and make sure he is fit and raring to go when the time comes for him to play.” The Notts boss has advised caution with Scott due to the severity of the injury he has recovered from, so it will likely be a gradual introduction to the squad for the rest of this season to avoid any further issues.
David Mcgoldrick and Richard Brindley are also on their way back and are back training after their respective knocks, with a couple of other players on the edge with shortterm issues that are being monitored and managed closely.
On this, Maynard added: “I’ve spoken recently about rotating the squad and making sure we use the minutes well coming into the Easter weekend where we have to play Friday and Monday, to make sure we avoid any fresh injuries.
“Jim O’brien has been outstanding, and John Bostock is another one amongst a few that have played a lot of minutes recently.”
While managing the workload of players for the rest of the season is important, Maynard needs some positive results to turn the tide and earn the backing of the supporters after a difficult start to his tenure.
Therefore, a balance must be found between rotation while also still picking the best team to get results moving forward.