First-team coach Gavin Skelton spoke ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup tie with Boston, reflecting on the win at Scunthorpe United and the arrival of Chris Conn-Clarke.
Speaking to CUTV on the collision that saw Junior Luamba leave the pitch against the Iron, he said: “It was a nasty collision and we’re still waiting on the results. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious.
“The medical side are taking care of it, and they’re obviously more qualified than me to comment further.”
The 2-1 win at Glanford Park was another impressive result against a side unbeaten in the league and at home for a long spell.
“Great three points. It was a proper game - physical, up and at them, plenty of contact.
“There were some strong challenges, but sometimes it’s nice to come out on top in those types of games.
“It shows character, especially after two disappointing results. People start to question things even when you’re at the top, so hopefully that answered a few of those questions about the desire and togetherness of the group.”
There was praise too for the wider squad who continue to contribute to recent results.
“We’ve had a lot of games this season where we’ve had to roll our sleeves up, make blocks, and dig in.
It’s not just one or two players doing that - it’s everyone. You look at lads like Granty (Josh Grant), who hasn’t played loads but comes on and puts his body on the line. It shows the unity in the group and why we’ve had some really good results.”
Reflecting on his return to the club, Skelton spoke of the positive start to the campaign.
“When you’re winning games, it’s always nice. We’ve started the season positively, and hopefully that sets us up for a really strong season.
“When you’re winning and getting three points, everything else tends to fall into place.”
Attention then turned to the arrival of attacking midfielder Chris Conn-Clarke, who signed this morning.
“It’s one we’ve been working on for a while. It adds competition.
“He’s a player who knows the league, which is important. It’s a tough division, and he’s someone who’s shown he can handle that.
“He trained today, and you can see his quality straight away. It didn’t quite work out for him at Peterborough, but hopefully he can pick up the form he showed at Altrincham, where he was a real threat.
“With him and Regan together, that’s an exciting prospect.”
He continued: “When you’re winning, it’s always a good dressing room to come into.
“Having Regan here helps - he’s got a great personality and good relationships with the lads, so that’ll help Chris settle.
“It’s been a busy day for him with the press and then straight into training, but he’s adapted really well.”
The midfielder offers versatility in several attacking positions, providing a new, exciting option for Mark Hughes to select.
“He can play in that number ten role, out wide, or even up top. He’s come here to play games, but like everyone else, he’s got to earn that right.
“We’ve been winning, so hopefully it’s difficult for him to get into the side — that means the lads are performing well. Competition for places is what you want.”
Looking ahead to the FA Cup, Skelton is eager to build on the club’s strong start to the season.
“The FA Cup is brilliant. It’s something we really want to do well in. It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper cup run, and we’d love to give the fans something to get behind.
“We’ve got a bit of momentum at the minute and we want to keep that going, not just in the league but in the cup too.
“You always dream of getting to that third round and getting that big draw - everyone does, whether you’re a player, staff member, or supporter.”
On the threat Boston may pose: “They’ll be hard-working, organised and full of desire. Graham’s teams always are.
“They had a disappointing result in the National League Cup the other night, but have been in good form otherwise. We know it’ll be a proper cup tie, and we’ll need to be at it.”
And on any injury updates, he said: “Terrell and Bevis are both ongoing - best to ask the medical staff on that one.”