COWANS CALLED AFTER CONLON AGONY
DARREN SARLL believes Stevenage are receiving a like-for-like replacement in Henry Cowans after allaction midfielder Tom Conlon went down with a serious knee injury.
Boro lost their midweek EFL Cup fixture to Stoke City and, to rub salt in the wounds, lost Conlon for at least six months after the 20-year-old ruptured his ACL.
But the blow has been softened somewhat by the arrival of Aston Villa loanee Cowans – son of former England international Gordon – for his first spell of senior football.
“He is a player that we have identified in U21 games,” said Sarll of 19year-old Cowans. “Glenn (Roeder, his assistant) and I saw him twice this year and were very impressed with his technical ability and the way he manages the ball.
“He has got those Tom Conlon type traits and obviously with Tom stepping out of the scene for a while it ended up being a decent time to bring Henry in. He will be great for us, he will give us a little more cover and support, a little more athleticism.”
And Stevenage’s midfield stocks will be boosted further by the imminent return of Steven Schumacher, who knows exactly what Conlon is going through having suffered the same injury last November.
“It is very sad,” added Sarll. “Worst of all, it is just unfortunate. The boys can’t control how or when that type of injury is going to occur.
“No-one is around him, he puts his foot down, and his knee twists in the wrong direction.
“Steve was very quick to lay support at Tom’s feet which was typical of Steve.
“He is getting very close, I thought this week he had his first real session where he was looking like he could be a part of the squad.
“It will be nice to have him around again.”