Johnnie Jackson spoke about the absence of goalkeeper Nik Tzanev and defender Huseyin Biler from yesterday’s game at Barrow.
New Zealand international Tzanev missed his first league game of the season, while Academy graduate Biler had just returned from a hamstring injury the previous week. This left our manager without nine of his first-choice players before defeat at Holker Street.
“Nik has been trying to manage an ongoing injury,” said Johnnie. “It’s got to a point where he felt unable to play and it was affecting him enough that it would be to the detriment of the team. No problem, in came Nathan Broome.
“Hus was a bit of a blow because he was in the team and the shape we wanted to play, on Friday. We lost him at the very last minute, so you have to shuffle the pack again. Having just got him back, I can’t tell you how frustrating that is.
“Just when you think you’re getting lads back, it’s not the case and you’re losing another one. We came here with nine missing, knowing it’s going to be difficult, but the young lads and everyone who did play gave it everything.
“The young boys that came in had a right go. There were two league debuts from the start for Broomy and Luke Jenkins and another from the bench in Obed Yeboah. That’s great for those young boys, but it just wasn’t to be.”
Johnnie praised defender Luke Jenkins, who opened the scoring early on. The league debutant has overcome injury and built himself up with successful loan spells at Tonbridge Angels and more recently Weymouth and Hampton & Richmond before his first team bow.
“Jenko has done the hard yards this season,” said Johnnie. “We called him back, what with the injuries we’ve got, and there was an opportunity for him.
“We know that about him. He wants to go and head the ball in training and he’s always causing problems in those situations. He’s gone and finished it off really well. That was no surprise to me, with him coming into the team. It was something that we highlighted that would be an asset of ours coming here.
“I thought he defended well, but he was off the pitch getting treatment when we conceded their second goal. Again, it’s one of those things. We’re a man down and we end up with a makeshift back four. That’s where we’re at as a squad at the minute. It’s unprecedented and you couldn’t make it up.
“We have to realise that. Everyone, as a group, as a football club, we have to recognise that and bite down, work hard and get through this period. I saw enough out there to believe that we will work through it.”
Photos: Simon Davies (Pro Sports Images).
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