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Key City defender avoids concussion concern ahead of Forest Green showdown
YORK City have cleared Malachi Fagan-Walcott of his concussion scare ahead of a massive match with Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.
Fagan-Walcott was an unfortunate casualty of York’s 5-3 win over Hartlepool United last Saturday, being replaced at half-time by Adam Crookes due to concerns over a potential concussion injury to the centre-back.
If Fagan-Walcott had been declared as concussed, he would have been unavailable for the following 12 days from last Saturday, as per the concussion protocols.
However, manager Adam Hinshelwood has confirmed that Fagan-Walcott has been cleared of any form of concussion, whilst all remaining careful with the Cardiff City loanee.
“Malachi has got through all of the protocols that he needed to so far,” Hinshelwood confirmed to BBC York.
“He’s upped his training a bit today without having any contact with the players and has done a bit of running with Sam [Mannings], the physio, and he will do a bit more tomorrow.
“He’s just now a wait and see really, obviously if he gets any reactions then we will have to take the appropriate measures and protocol.
“So far, so good.
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“It’s massive, he’s a huge, huge player for us. But if not, it is an opportunity for other players.
“We’ll have to wait and see, we’re really dictated on how Malachi feels and we won’t be putting any pressure on him.
“As great as it would be to have him available to play, at the same time he has to be right and we have to take the right protocol.
“It will have done Crookesy the world of good to get 45 minutes under his belt and he is progressing nicely.
“Other than that, it’s pretty much the same squad to choose from, there are no knocks or anything, one or two have a bit of tightness but it’s at that stage of the season where pitches are starting to get a little bit heavier.
“It’s just the intensity of the games of late, Wycombe was a real intense game and Hartlepool was as well.
“It’s good headaches to have, the team that started last week performed very well in large parts of the first-half.
“We’ve got to look at that but also, there has been lads that have performed well in training.
“There’s real competition for places and it’s the kind of headaches we want.
“We expect to have a full squad to choose from.”
City will continue to be without Callum Harriott, who is currently away from the club due to personal reasons, whilst George Sykes-Kenworthy’s long-term injury may require further treatment with the goalkeeper reportedly still feeling pain during this level of rehabilitation.
George Sykes-Kenworthy may require further treatment for his long-term injury with York City. (Image: Tom Poole) Hinshelwood also provided updates on Lenell John-Lewis, Darragh O’Connor, Zanda Siziba, Levi Andoh and Alex Hernandez, who are all closing in on a return to full training.
However, the boss admitted that he is open to potential loan moves away for some of those injured players, with Hinshelwood keen to ensure that they are earning game time.
Hinshelwood added: “He’s [Harriott] still away at the moment, we’ve got to give him the relevant time and space he needs.
“He’s got to be with his wife at this stage, we really respect that and give him all the time he needs to deal with what’s going on there.
“George Sykes-Kenworthy is feeling a bit of pain, he’s progressed his rehab but is feeling a bit of pain, so he’s one that we might have to consider a doctor to see what we can do.
“Everybody else is progressing nicely, Len is in a good place and we’re hoping that he can put his boots on next week.
“We’ve had Darragh, Zanda, Levi and Alex Hernandez now back with their boots on.
“Sam is slowly shifting them all out of the treatment room and back onto the grass, which is good.
“We’ll look at how long they have been out and the best sort of protocol, but obviously when a team is doing well and there’s not many injuries, it’s difficult.
“You need players to play, that’s our thinking with Billy Chadwick going for a month and he’s gone somewhere that is familiar to him.
“He can go and get match minutes and was really pleased with his contribution on Saturday.
“We’re hoping that him getting a month’s loan and getting regular minutes under his belt will benefit us in a month’s time.”
City new boy Jeff King could also make his debut against Forest Green on Saturday, with Hinshelwood holding no reservations about the full-backs fitness after his move from Swindon Town was confirmed yesterday evening.
Hinshelwood will wait and see how King adapts to the patterns of play the club implement on the training ground, whilst also hoping that his promotion experience from the National League, along with recent signing David Ajiboye, will be important for York in their targets for the season.
“He’s pretty much ready to go, he certainly looks after himself really well.
“The work that he has done so far in the gym and stuff, everyone has been really impressed with.
“It will just be more a case of seeing how we like to play and the patterns that we work on really, it’s more a case of that rather than actual fitness.
“It’s two players that we’ve brought in, and I think that’s important to have a bit of knowhow of what is expected.
“It’s a real tough league and is probably the toughest to get out of with only one going up [automatically].
“The quality that there is in the league, it’s real tough and to have players with the knowhow of doing that, is vitally important.”
