[Devongone]

Looking on our website at Toils in the Treatment Room and taking account of our obvious looming relegation battle I thought blimey where's the up-side? For the moderately good news that we might get O'Neil back and Ched might be fit to play if we decide not to sack him and he's free after his case, we pay with a list of the wounded, the best of which is Tommy is back diving. It doesn't sound as though Mr Wylde is recommending holding your breath until Jones and Angel even near fitness.

When you read how serious Tommy's operation was I still find it difficult not to question the decision to allow him to play at Bradford last year in a nothing-match for which we had another adequate keeper available, but everybody makes mistakes, it is learning from them that is important. Let's make sure he is ready before we play him, however desperate our position.

The good news I suppose is in the young players we have on the verge of coming through. German, Ofoegbu and Maguire at their ages must offer a good chance that at least two of the three will make it properly in the game, above and beyond The Spireites? Then we've got Dimaio and Donohue who are still inexperienced but beginning to nail down places in the first team. Reece Mitchell, if he can overcome the disadvantage of a certain-to-fail Chelsea youth, might make the jump from wanna-be to real life that Gboly achieved after escaping Leeds (& let's hope his loss of form is temporary). Then there's perhapses in Allinson if he can develop behind a fully-fit Tommy and Rai Simons if he can overcome the shape-shifting of changing from boy to a man and gain the confidence in his game instead of running about everywhere to prove he's trying. Experience will also either make or break Morrison won't it? And Daly and Beesley also come into the first team picture with time to improve if we are prepared to finance it.

Whilst it's difficult to remember quite so many injuries and on the face it's hard for me at least NOT to see us as strong candidates for relegation, I can't remember a time when there were so many players at the club genuinely pushing for the first team. Of course you could take the Adele point of view   and conclude that it means the first team is incredibly weak OR you might choose a play from the silver-linings playbook in the hope that this time next year we'll regularly be fielding seven or eight excellent youngsters supported by a few reliable older heads.

To put our current position in context I remember our sheer amazement when a player like Kevin Davies emerged into first-team action. I can even remember watching Ernie Moss play for our Juniors and thinking, wow proper centre forward, get him in the first team and just a few weeks later we did. But these were rare jewels in over 50 years ........ I can't remember us having several shots at it, can you?