Kelvin Davis sat down with us to discuss the current squad regarding injury news, loans, and youth players to provide supporters with an update.
We have had an unfortunate number of lengthy injuries during the season and the gaffer started by discussing the current injuries within the first-team:
Jake Vokins has had a successful operation in December and he’s on the road to rehab after an injury to his left ankle that he sustained against Ebbsfleet United. For some time, it was touch and go as to whether he was going to require an operation but the final diagnosis, after a couple of weeks of investigation, was that he would need an operation.
Vokins is set to miss a ‘number of months’ but we would like to think that we will see him in action before the end of the season.
Deji Sotona has had his ACL reconstructed following his injury against Maidenhead on the opening day of the season. In football, we know how big of an injury this is but also an unfortunately common injury too. For that reason, the recovery is pretty structured on ACL’s these days.
We expect Sotona to be back on the grass in six to seven months. It’s a long path that many players have had to undergo but as long as he’s professional with his rehab, we expect to see him back at least for pre-season.
Solomon Nwabuokei had been playing with a knee injury which we were managing however, suffered a set back after playing against FC Halifax Town but is on the road to recovery after his knee procedure which means that we expect to see him back out on the grass in the next couple of months, and we expect to see him back on the pitch before the end of the season.
Corey Panter is back to training now and is running, kicking the ball, and ticking the last few boxes before being fit so we expect him to be available for the weekend.
Scott Quigley picked up a significant injury to his quad whilst playing against Yeovil Town. He is currently on the road to recovery and it will be a matter of weeks, not days before we see him return.
There have been a few loans within the team both incoming and outgoing, which the gaffer touches on:
Liam Webber has joined Horndean on a short-term loan after an offer was accepted. This will hopefully be a great experience in men’s football for Webber, and one that will benefit both him, and the club.
Nathan Rogers is in the middle of a successful loan spell at Shaftesbury, and they are very happy with his progress and as a result, have extended his attachments to the club for another month which we’re happy to promote that and keep pushing him on.
Malachi Dotse has returned to the club after a loan spell at Shaftesbury and we’re exploring other opportunities for him away from the club to gain minutes for his development.
Noa Boutin is a player that we’ve been really pleased with and another young player that has come into the club. I think that he has improved in his time and is taking the opportunity that has been presented to him following the injury to Vokins. He’s a player that will capture the attention of clubs from above due to his athleticism and his end product. It’s a win-win because he’s playing well for us and developing his career at the same time.
We are pleased that Noa will remain an Eastleigh player until the end of the season.
Two youth products have been given opportunities in and around the first-team setting:
Connor Underhill signed a pro-contract. trains with us everyday, and is constantly developing and growing in a career in the professional game. His career will be determined on opportunity and whether we can present that opportunity to him at the right time. It’s also a case of whether when the opportunities are presented to him, making sure that he takes them with both hands.
Joe Ryan is in a similar position but hasn’t yet signed his pro-deal. He’s on the right path though and showing up in training everyday which is important. He currently has a loan spell at Wimborne so he’s getting some experience in men’s football and Joe might find himself getting an opportunity that he’ll need to grab with both hands.
