TJ sweating on OK as McCall shuffles pack

4:07pm Thursday 9th October 2008

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City are waiting to discover if TJ Moncur will be allowed to play any part against Accrington.

The on-loan Fulham defender has been out of action since that sickening clash of heads with team-mate Graeme Lee at Shrewsbury.

Moncur, who collapsed on the pitch shortly afterwards and appeared to suffer a fit, is slowly beginning to remember hazy moments from the game a fortnight ago and returned to full training on Monday.

Football Association guidelines prevent players who have suffered serious head injuries from playing again for a minimum two weeks.

Moncur saw the specialist again this morning and was hopeful of good news. But City will go on the expert medical advice before deciding whether they can pencil him in for a bench spot.

Stuart McCall is already preparing to shuffle the ranks because of the absence of Omar Daley and Paul Heckingbottom. Mark Bower is still out with an injured thigh.

McCall admitted: “Defensively we’re struggling a bit with people being out and we’ll have to chop and change. But others are desperate to get a game so we’ll go with what we’ve got and see how they get on.

“It’s obviously a blow not having Omar because he is an important player for us. He had a little dip which coincided with a couple of poor team performances but last Saturday, especially in the second half, everything went through him and he was a real threat.

“But Nixy (Kyle Nix) has been busting a gut to get in and I’m sure he will take his chance.

“He’s been unfortunate not to be playing really because he’s not done anything wrong to be left out of the side. But wherever you play Nixy, you will get great commitment and he’s desperate to be involved.”

Paul Arnison is back in training but McCall will leave it late before deciding whether the right back is ready after missing the last two games with an injured calf. Simon Ainge, who deputised effectively against Luton, is ready to step in again if needed.

The City boss said: “Arny has only been back a couple of days but, when he went out of the team, he was playing as well as he had been for us. We’ll leave it as long as possible.”

McCall’s men are eager to reclaim lost ground after claiming only one point from the last three games, dropping from first to sixth. But the manager insists the mini-wobble is no great cause for concern.

“I’m happy with where we are,” he added. “Sixteen points from nine games is a solid return and we’re in the play-off area.

“We’re probably about where we hoped to be at this stage. We’ve had a little bit of uncertainty with picking the side because of the injuries but we’ve got to look to push on again now and get back on the winning trail.”

McCall will be up against one of the most experienced managers in the game. John Coleman, Accrington’s boss since 1999, recently clocked up 400 league games in charge.

McCall said: “That’s a great achievement and he’s done a good job with them. I often see John at games, always out and about looking for bargains.

“He will be disappointed with the bad run they’re going through and will be desperate to get out of that.”