Curle provides update on Pollock, Marshall, Arnold and others

Arnold returning to fitness as Pollock slowly edges his way back
Keith Curle and Scott Pollock.Keith Curle and Scott Pollock.
Keith Curle and Scott Pollock.

Keith Curle has given an update on various individuals within his squad.

Mickel Miller, Jack Sowerby and Alan Sheehan are the main absentees at present and all three look likely to miss tomorrow's rearranged trip to Blackpool.

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Homegrown midfielder Scott Pollock has not played a game this season due to a deeply frustrating groin injury. The 19-year-old first struggled with the problem in the summer and has had several setbacks following an operation.

Mark Marshall.Mark Marshall.
Mark Marshall.

Curle provided an encouraging update on his progress though, saying: "He's a long way down the road to recovery now and it's been excellent to see him back out on the grass. He's not involved in football training just yet but he's been building up his stamina and doing his fitness work.

"He's been a credit to himself because I see him every day in the gym and he's also been out on the grass but he's always got a smile on his face and has accepted the challenges.

"He hasn't been daunted by the hard work that lays ahead in terms of getting up to match speed. It's pleasing to see because it can have a strain on you when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and every day is like groundhog day and you're not seeing much improvement.

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"But in the last two or three weeks, he's noticed an improvement and that's given him encouragement that he's close to the end of his recovery."

Meanwhile, neither Mark Marshall nor Steve Arnold have featured in the past couple of matchday squads.

"We had a change of formation and we weren't playing with wingers," Curle added. "Until recently we had Nicky Adams available so we had two wingers already on the bench.

"Steve Arnold has been out injured but he's coming back and will be in the fold again, as will Mark."

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On how his squad is looking ahead of tomorrow's game at Blackpool, Curle said: "We won't be any different from other clubs. At any given time, I don't think we will have the full 22-man squad available.

"There will be twists and turns from now until the end of the season. We can't pick and choose who's out and when they're out with injuries and suspensions, but our mindset is that we're a competitive squad and on a Saturday or a Tuesday, that squad turns into a team."