Midfielder Chris Lumsdon finally received some good news about his back injury last Wednesday when surgeons decided that an operation, designed to flush out the area around his lower spine, was not needed after all.

Since then the 28-year-old has made a return to Brunton Park, and is now under the watchful guidance of the physio team.

Lummy told us: "Basically I was given an injection to help with the pain I had. They said it would be a month before that would start to work and, when it didn't work, they then said I'd have to go and have surgery."

"I went to see the surgeon, and he initially confirmed that an operation was needed," he explained. "He booked me in for last week, and it was all set to go ahead as far as I was concerned. I got myself to the hospital, changed in to a dressing gown ... and I'd even got as far as ordering what I wanted for breakfast the next day. After a bit of a wait the surgeon came and asked how I was, and I told him that I was feeling much better. He did a few strength tests on my foot, and I passed those with no problems. He smiled, and I thought that was because he was thinking about the fee he was going to get for the job, but he then told me that he was happy not to do the operation at all, because of the level of improvement. I agreed with him, because I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, so we called it off and here I am now. My next port of call after the hospital, by the way, was Pizza Hut. I was starving and I hadn't eaten all day!"

"I've now been told to take it easy and do what I can, when I can," he said. "If it was up to me I'd be on the bench this Saturday and coming on to score the winner, but neither the gaffer or Dolly are likely to go for that. I'm looking at about a month or so, and I know I have to take my time, but I will definitely be back."

"For the moment Dolly has sorted me a list of exercises, and it is mostly light build up work and swimming," he told us. "I've done alot of core work, exercising the stomach area, but I haven't yet been able to start any ball work. Hopefully that will come in a couple of weeks time. I'm not a patient patient at all, so Dolly has to be strict with me on occasions. I do listen to him, but it can be frustrating when all you really want is to be out there and playing. I've mentioned a month, others have said two months, but I think the best thing to do is just get on with it and then wait and see when I get back. That way it should all take care of itself."