Not even a bout of tonsillitis could dampen the enthusiasm of Jack Currie as he made his first competitive appearance of the season last night.
The defender, who took the first team and the resulting end of season awards by storm last campaign, was back from a quad injury and got an hour against League One Stevenage in the EFL Trophy.
“The aim is to give the manager a selection dilemma,” said Jack after we beat the visitors 6-5 in a sudden-death penalty shootout, to claim a bonus point following a 1-1 draw.
“I’m always going to give it one hundred percent. I’m ready when I get the call-up, I’ll be prepared, but like in any position there’s competition, so if you play well - you keep the shirt and that’s how it should be.
“It’s never easy, recovering from your first proper injury, but working with Huseyin Biler I know he’s got a good mindset and he’s someone I grew up with as well as doing my rehab with. We pushed each other, we’ll get our rewards and he’s someone who will also be back soon.
“It was my first game back for over a month and it was always going to be tough, especially against a physical team like Stevenage. You know what you’re coming up against and for the most part I thought we matched them. We imposed our game and if I’m honest - we should have got more from it.”
Jack had words of encouragement for two fellow Academy graduates, with winger Aron Sasu and centre-back Ethan Sutcliffe both impressing on the night.
“Sas is very direct, you know what you’re going to get from him,” said Jack. “He’s going to create chances and he did. It’s just the final product really that we all have to take on board, but he is a prospect and was very solid.
“Ethan is another big prospect for us, he showed that out there. He was confident and stepped in when he needed to and I think him and the rest of the back four were well drilled.
“Joe Lewis, who got our equaliser, is a great player and you know what you’re going to get from him too. That first goal for the club has been coming for weeks. He likes to be on the front foot."
“Charlie Lakin struck the decisive penalty and had a great game. He’s energetic and brings something new to the squad. We have depth now and everyone knows their jobs. He was confident and put in a really good performance.”
Attention now turns back to League Two and a visit from Stockport County on Saturday. We’ll be missing striker Ali Al-Hamadi who is away on international duty with Iraq and midfielder Connor Evans, as well as Lewis, as part of their loan arrangements with the Edgeley Park club.
“It’s going to be tough and a proper battle,” said Jack. ”But we’ve got the players now to back us up and carry us through to get these positive results.”
Photos: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images).