Football - Hallam faces fitness race for season's start (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Football - Hallam faces fitness race for season's start

11:14am Saturday 8th August 2009 in Sport By Arran Jolly

KENDAL Town skipper Tony Hallam faces a race against the clock to be fit for Worksop’s visit to Parkside on the opening day of the UniBond Premier Division season, while Daniel Wordsworth has left the club writes Arran Jolly.

When Kendal travel to take on Clitheroe tomorrow in the last of their pre-season fixtures they will be without last season’s centre defensive partnership of Wordsworth and Hallam.

The 26-year-old Hallam is set to miss the game as he attempts to recover from a knee injury sustained during a collision with team-mate Callum Warburton in a friendly.

Speaking to the Gazette Kendal manager Lee Ashcroft confirmed Hallam’s fitness was a worry ahead of the upcoming campaign,saying: “ Tony’s taken a really bad knock on the knee and there’s a lot of fluid there that has yet to subside so we’ve got to wait and see. He’ll try and do some light training next week but at the moment its 50-50.”

The Kendal boss also confirmed Wordsworth had left the club during pre-season, “ Daniel has a new job which unfortunately means he can’t commit to play for us, but we’re keeping in touch though so if the situation changes he could come back.”

One man certain to play tomorrow is recently signed centre back Glen Steel. With Hallam injured, Steel has a great opportunity to cement a first team-place and Ashcroft has clearly been impressed by the former Bamber Bridge player’sa pre-season form.

“ I think Glen has done brilliantly since coming in and has fitted in very well. He’s very much in contention for a first- team place.”

Winger Lee Mulvaney is Town’s only other injury concern.

Mulvaney joins Hallam in the treatment room suffering from tendonitis in a knee and is almost certain to miss the start of the season.

On the other flank Carl Osman will be hoping the injury problems that plagued the second half of his season last year are behind him.

Ashcroft said: “ I’ve brought in a fitness man to try and help in training and with injuries, and we’ve looking to strengthen Carl’s hamstrings and the results look promising.

He has looked sharp in training and hopefully he can stay fit because when he is no one in the league can touch him.