Long term injured more short term
Tuesday, 28th Sep 2021Lewis McCann and Iain Wilson “getting closer”
![](https://backup.dafc.co.uk/files/IMG_7922_6029.jpg)
Twenty year old striker Lewis McCann is getting there according to his gaffer Peter Grant:-
“It has been a long time for Lewis because unfortunately when I came to the club he was carrying an injury but still trying to play and train. He missed pre season but it is good to have him back on the grass with us. I think he has trained maybe six full days with us now and that has been perfect.
“It is great to have him back, he is a smashing kid, he is a talented boy and now it is just a matter of getting that opportunity for him. He has to play games because as I said at the start, I don’t want to be holding guys around about who are not going to have an effect on the team.
![](https://backup.dafc.co.uk/files/CBPB6541_8440.jpg)
“Some guys maybe have to go, not for anything else because they are a big asset to us, but I have to make sure that young players play football. We will see how he gets on in the next week before I make a decision on that.
“Lewis can have a big effect for us when you talk about Nikolay Todorov struggling, things like that happening and the covid situation as well so you are always loathe to put players out on loan anywhere because you end up with no players yourself.
“If anything happened, God forbid, at your club you are a few players down and then you end up with a squad of fourteen players which is nigh on impossible at this level. You have to have everybody available as much as you can. The covid restrictions are causing us a bit of an issue getting boys game time. Because we don’t have under 23s you can’t get game time into them.
![](https://backup.dafc.co.uk/files/CBPB1889_4176.jpg)
“We have not had a squad to play a friendly match because we have not had a big enough squad to do that.
“The great thing is, he is back on the grass and back training with us. I am sure that he will be an asset to the club, there is absolutely no doubt about that.”
Midfielder Iain Wilson (22) has not played since clubs completing the 90 minutes of the goalless draw against Hearts on 3rd April this year. He is similar said the gaffer:-
“Last week Iain trained one day on, then one day off. His is an ongoing issue because it is a soreness, it is not going to get any worse it is just how well he can take the pain really. It is just the pain threshold. It is like going to the dentist if there is a constant pain or ache that you are just not comfortable with.
![](https://backup.dafc.co.uk/files/CBPB0928_1783.jpg)
“Some days we have to settle it down again but he is working really hard with Tommy Scanlon and Paul Green trying to get fully fit. Obviously he is breaking in with us now and again. As I say he is a big player in respect that he is a talented boy and something that we don’t feel that we have within the group. If he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders he is another one who can be an asset for us.”
Peter Grant insists that knowing when a player can get back on the grass relies on the experience of physio Tommy and sports scientist Paul:-
“They know exactly what the injury is, so they know that it is more the pain threshold than an injury in the respect that it is going to get any worse.
![](https://backup.dafc.co.uk/files/CBPA5763_2469.jpg)
“It is one of these injuries that is how much you can take. Some days Iain will suffer through it and then come off and do the bike and still get up to the work ethic of the team. If the team is working at 85% we can work Iain at the same Ievel.
“Sometimes he will go two weeks and feels absolutely fine then all of a sudden he comes back with that ache. Because of the nature of the injury he needs to get over that.
“He feels better in himself which is the most important thing because six or eight weeks ago he would have thought that he was a long, long way away. With the experience of the staff here they have given him the right information and I think he is reaping the rewards of that.”
![](https://backup.dafc.co.uk/files/CBPA0351_5551.jpg)
Views : 1,855