ADRIAN Heath will be walking a tightrope between now and the end of the season.
The Burnley boss, whose team face as demanding a run-in over the final month of the season as any club in the country, continues to cast a concerned eye over his list of long-term casualties.
And he is resigned to two more names now being added to the absentees who will not feature again this season.
"We don't expect Jamie Hoyland to play again this season, having already lost Chris Vinnicombe, John Francis, Nathan Peel and Chris Brass," said Heath.
"And I suspect it is going to be the same with Ian Helliwell.
"Both have knee injuries and, while I was hoping to have Ian Helliwell back for at least some of the games, the problem is going to be lack of match practice. When you have been out for five or six weeks, it can take time to get match fit again."
With eight more games to play in less than a month after today's clash with Bradford City, Heath's resources are going to be tested to the limit as he attempts to inspire his side to pick up the couple of wins that could assure them of a mid-table place.
There are plenty of games left to do that but, in itself, the busy programme brings a problem.
Players don't have time to recover from knocks with matches coming thick and fast.
"When you lose five or six players from a squad that wasn't all that big anyway, it can be a worry," said the manager. "You only need to pick up another injury or a couple of suspensions and you can run into problems."
Wayne Dowell is also unavailable, of course, having joined Carlisle on loan.
It's just as well that Heath was able to borrow two players himself before last week's transfer deadline.
And Charlie Bishop's versatility could be an important factor over the last few weeks of the campaign.
Bury manager Stan Ternent was awarded the Third Division manager of the month award for March having taken his side into the top three. Blackpool's Sam Allardyce won the Second Division award.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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