Three Wrexham players added to Phil Parkinson's injury list

Just over a week ago we were preparing for another Arthur Okonkwo clean sheet at Stockport, while Will Boyle and Luke Bolton were looking forward to showing what they could do in our match at Port Vale.

Now, all three of them are looking at weeks off the pitch through injury.

It’s an indication of the precarious nature of a career in football. Things can change around so quickly.

They’ll be back, of course, but there’s never a good time to pick up an injury.

In the case of Boyle and Bolton, their plight illustrates the problems players face when they drop out of a winning side.

With the first eleven doing well, both players knew they needed to grasp every opportunity that came their way.

Our inexorable pursuit of promotion means there’s a churn in our squad, and anybody who isn’t able to command a place, or at least a share of one, could be under pressure to stay in our registered squad in January.

The situation Anthony Forde is in shows what can happen. He has never let us down – quite the contrary!

He has been a magnificent player for us, a fine all-round wing-back whose combination play with James Jones was a major feature of our promotion season (Not last season, the one before. It’s so nice to have a choice!).

He’s playing for a place in the squad next January, though, despite his quality and versatility, because injury struck at the wrong time and we are constantly looking for signings which upgrade an already fearsome squad.

For Boyle, being handed the captain’s armband by Phil Parkinson must have given him a boost, as he hasn’t been involved in League One this season apart from one game as an unused sub, against Huddersfield Town.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that through last March, Boyle established himself in the back three, bouncing back remarkably well from suffering two red cards in the space of four starts to form a strong defensive unit with Eoghan O’Connell and Max Cleworth.

We’d suffered a wobble, winning two points out of nine, and that trio guided us into form before the run-in.

However, Boyle was subbed off an hour into the loss at Doncaster as Parkinson changed our shape to a more attacking formation. That game was on April 1, and he hasn’t appeared in the league since.

The irony of him pulling a muscle in the final sprint of his warm-up is obvious.

As for Bolton, the cruel thing is that Parkinson spoke afterwards of how impressive he’s been in training lately.

Ryan Barnett has sewn down the right wing-back spot, of course, with his superb performances this season, but the role of understudy is available, and Bolton has been a regular on the bench.

He offers something different from Barnett, so they complement each other nicely. Barnett’s strengths are his link-up play and his ability to toy with a full back, grasping the moment to deliver once his direct opponent is thrown off balance.

He can sustain his pace over a long distance, making him perfect on the transition, turning defence into attack.

Bolton’s approach is more direct, beating players with a surge of acceleration. He can operate in tight corners as long as there’s just enough room for him to drive into. Bolton in full flight is exciting to watch and hard to defend against.

However, niggling injuries have hampered him, and for an explosive player like him, pulling a muscle is always a possibility.

Bolton’s forte is bursting past an opponent with a sudden injection of pace, but thoroughbreds like him live on the edge physically, finely-tuned to operate at high levels, with the possibility of pushing just a little too hard always present.

Bolton has had limited opportunity to show those qualities this season, especially as it has wore on.

What a shame that last Tuesday turned into a setback when it ought to have been an opportunity.

The sooner both players recover the better. Competition is fierce at the SToK Cae Ras these days, and opportunities, once given, have to be taken.

Lets hope Boyle and Bolton are back sooner rather than later and able to stake their claim to be part of Parkinson’s plans once more.

As for Okonkwo, the events of the last week show that even a star player can suddenly be on the outside. He’s a magnificent player, of course, but there can only be one goalkeeper on the pitch.

If Callum Burton can maintain his form, even Arthur might find he has a battle to return to the side when he’s fit.

Still, this all goes to show how quickly things move when a side is ambitious, which can’t be a bad thing for us!