Steady Eddie

Last updated : 24 March 2010 By Bournemouth Co-Ordinator

With Shaun Cooper and Mark Molesley returning from injury, manager Eddie Howe is understandably cautious about rushing them back too soon.

The Cherries manager is quoted in the Bournemouth Evening Echo as saying on the pair: "You don’t just suddenly walk back in and pick up everything straight away. We will give them all the time they need. In an ideal world, you would have two or three reserve games, maybe more, before you even thought about putting on a first-team shirt. Once you put on that shirt, you are judged like everyone else and it can be quite unforgiving if you rush back too soon. I will be guided by the players because they know their bodies better than I do. They will be considered for selection when they think they are fit and confident enough. We would love them to be fit and available because they have all got a big part to play. But we will bring them back into the first-team environment when they are ready and not a minute sooner. They have all had serious injuries, Shaun and Mark probably more so than Scottie. We can’t rush them or put any pressure on them. It can only be when they feel ready".

On Cooper specifically: "Shaun is by far the furthest down the line. He has joined in training and has almost done a mini pre-season. He was a big player for us last season and has been out for a long time so we will be guided by him", and on Molesley: "Mark has only just started light jogging and still has a fair bit to do. He is a long way away and people shouldn’t be expecting to see him before the end of the season. If we did, it would be a huge bonus for us".