Steven Rigg could be back in the Workington Reds line-up for this afternoon’s home game with Lancaster City.
Although Rigg knows he will need a knee operation at some point he might still be able to play until he gets a date.
He has had discussions with a consultant after suffering knee problems for a while, and there is a chance he might be allowed to play on.
“There’s an outside chance he might be available,” said manager Billy Barr.
Dav Symington, who also faces surgery, will not be involved, however, while Charlie Barnes continues his four-match suspension after Reds lost an appeal against his recent red card.
Isaac Whitehall, who made a solid debut in the game against Stockton 11 days ago is able to return after he had to miss Saturday’s trip to Cleethorpes.
Barr says that centre-back Tyler Magliore is likely to be joining a Scottish Championship side in the new year and is unsure as to his availability for today’s game.
Brad Carroll, who made a typically hard-working second club debut at Cleethorpes, will be assured a warm, welcome back to Borough Park where he was a firm favourite first time round.
It will also be a home debut for Ne-Jai Tucker, who has joined Reds on a month’s loan from National North club Southport.
He had a quiet first appearance for Reds at Cleethorpes and was substituted early in the second half, but fans will have been encouraged by comments from his Bermudan coach
Tucker has been a mainstay for Bermuda during their recent World Cup qualifying campaign and was nominated by coach Michael Findlay as the island’s best player after scoring in their 2-2 draw away to Trinidad and Tobago in November.
Speaking after that game, Findlay said that Tucker has been identified as a key player for the Gombey Warriors.
“I thought Ne-Jai was the player of the game by a long shot,” Findlay said. “We’ve been working with him on where we feel he’s best and one of the things we noticed is that he can be much more influential higher up the pitch.
“He likes the ball and he doesn’t just create things with it. He dictates tempo, which we want to do given that we are trying to be a football-first team.
“We’re also working with him out of possession, as we need players who can be effective when we have the ball but also when we don’t, especially at the level we’re playing at because the transitional moments are so dramatic and can be so damaging.
“We’ve been asking him to do that and he showed not just his ability but the potential to be a very key figure for us.”
In July 2021 Tucker signed his first professional contract with Burnley and two months later scored his first goal for the under-23 team in Premier League 2 against Southampton at St Mary’s.
Tucker’s contract was due to expire at the end of that season, but Burnley announced they had activated the option for a further year in June 2022.
He was namechecked by new Burnley manager Vincent Kompany as a youngster that had impressed him during preseason training in July 2022. However, he was released by Burnley at the end of the 2022-23 season and returned to Bermuda.
Of this afternoon’s opponents Lancaster, Barr has watched them twice recently – beaten 3-1 each time by Warrington Rylands and Bamber Bridge.
He said: “Lancaster are a very good solid outfit, experienced in most positions.”
Something has to change today as both sides go into the contest on the back of three successive defeats.
Jimmy Marshall will be looking to kick start the Dolly Blue campaign at Borough Park, but the West Cumbrian ground has not been a happy hunting ground in previous years. For the last victory you have to go back to the 2018/19 season and 2 goals from Brad Carsley earned a 2-0 win.
Nathan Caine made a welcome return to the side as a substitute in the defeat to Bamber Bridge, while Adam Fairclough has served his suspension for a straight red card.
Marshall will be looking for everyone to be on it to turn round a run of form which has seen the Dollies win two games in 10 and slip out of play-off spots for the first time since September.
The kick-off at Borough Park is 3pm.
