Manager James Beattie has confirmed that all three of our January signings are available for this weekends game against Newport County, and he’s even welcomed back Nicky Hunt following his spell out injured.
Speaking to the Official Site Beattie said he welcomed the selection headache that would now be posed with Marcus Bettinelli and Kayode Odejayi now having returned to the club, Liverpool youngster Craig Roddan now finally with us, and the returning Hunt, because hopefully all four can now help us push on further again and increase competition within the team.
‘Craig was bitterly disappointed to go back last time when things didn’t work out financially with the two clubs, but now we’ve got him back and things are much more favourable in that department.’
Beattie goes on to say that Roddan is a very versatile player who has a good pedigree for the game, but of course his first challenge will be to impress and earn his chance on merit when it comes to getting into the side and maybe challenging for a starting position.
With Bettinelli returning, especially with him being so good for us during his former loan spell at the club this season, Beattie will have to decide whether to keep faith with Andrew Dawber, who he says has been excellent since being called on when Bettinelli returned to Fulham on Christmas Day.
The gaffer also says he was playing on despite having a slight thigh strain and that just shows the battling character of the player and that’s the exact sort of attitude he wants from the player – but that of course does open up Dawber being rested possibly?
The biggest praise went to Odejayi, with Beattie describing him as probably being the missing link in first 12 games.
‘He’s still a young lad, he’s got stuff to learn and can still improve and I’ve said to him that I’m going to pester him and get on his nerves to try to improve him.’
The gaffer also confirmed that as you’d expect we do have a number of trialists with us at the moment, but that will be a case of wait and see as he knows what he can do within the finances and the budget, and obviously he wants the club to keep pushing on, but a trial is a trial and he’ll make his decision when it suits him to do so.
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