Cobblers 'modify' training plan for McCormack as midfielder closes in on return

Alan McCormack is closing in on a return to the Cobblers midfield after three weeks out injured, rated by his manager as 'touch and go' for the visit of Morecambe on Saturday.
Alan McCormackAlan McCormack
Alan McCormack

The veteran midfielder, who celebrated his 36th birthday last Friday, has missed the last four matches with an unspecified injury.

With the team in good form, having won three of those games, and wary of McCormack's injury record, manager Keith Curle will wait until the time is right to recall him to the fold.

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"I think it'll be touch and go for this week," said Curle. "We have a duty of care to Alan and we need to make sure he's ready.

"Alan wants to train in every training session, he wants to play every game and he wants to be the first one in and the last one out.

"The lad can't do enough but for us it's a case of monitoring him and putting the reins on him and taking control of his output because he wants to do everything.

"I was slightly different because when I played I wanted to rack up games and I hardly trained. If you speak to Neil Warnock, he was so frustrated because of my training time, but I played games.

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"I was a consistent performer and I racked up a lot of games. I didn't take part in as many training sessions as coaches might have liked but that's where we're up to with Alan because he always wants to train.

"We need to modify his training session plan and then it's him adapting to that. He always wants to do more but sometimes less can be more and that's how we can get more game-time out of him."

Harry Smith and Shaun McWilliams are the only other injury doubts for Saturday's game.