Goalkeeper poser awaits Buckle

First choice keeper Mark Tyler is fit again, but Buckle confirmed it wouldn’t be a straightforward decision to dislodge understudy Dean Brill, who made his 100th appearance for the club on Tuesday night.

Speaking to the press this afternoon, Buckle said: “Mark’s trained today. We gave the players yesterday off after the long journey, but Mark’s come through today and trained well which is a big plus for me.

“I think Mark always knew there was competition with Dean. They get on brilliantly off the pitch, they work very hard together with Dimi (Kharine) and they’ve supported each other.

“Brilly’s been a great support to Mark when he’s been playing and vice versa now. I spoke to both players before the Hereford game and they both totally understood that they will share the load this season.

“We’ve got two good goalkeepers and I won’t make the change unless I feel it’s really, really right.”

Striker Jon Shaw is expected to miss out for the third game running with his thigh injury as Buckle continued: “I don’t think Jon will be fit for Saturday and I think we’ll be without him again.”

Midfielder Alex Lawless could well feature from the start though after making his comeback from an ankle injury as a second half substitute during the 1-0 defeat at Edgar Street in midweek.

Buckle said: “Alex is back training. He’s still a little bit sore, but he’s back in training and he’s someone that I’ll probably leave until tomorrow to make the decision whether I start him or not.

“He’s a big player for us, especially at home. If we play him in midfield or as full back bombing on, he’s shown us what he can do in that position.

“We need our full backs to attack in wide areas. He’s shown us this season he can play in two or three positions and that would be a tactical move if I decide to do it.”

Defender Dean Beckwith is also available once more, but faces a battle to regain his place after some impressive displays by Simon Ainge in particular and Janos Kovacs recently.

The boss added: “Dean’s done a lot of work today. We play against the youth team and he’s joined in with the youth team against us and has come through training.

“I hope his groin will be recovered and he’s got the chance now to try and move our two centre halves, so it’s nice to have Dean back.”

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