Hayden Carson's distress, and what happens with the loan players?
Connell Rawlinson speaks to The Seal ahead of a huge week for Chester FC
If ever there was need for a visible sign of just how much this run to the play-offs means to Chester players, it was midway through the first half on Saturday.
Hayden Carson has become a hugely important player for interim boss Connell Rawlinson down the stretch of this National League North campaign, and while he has had to have a hip flexor issue managed by the Blues and his parent club Salford City, requiring him to be withdrawn in recent games at the break, such is the level of his impact, it is a condition that Chester have been willing to meet.
Carson, 20, who returned to the Deva Stadium for a second loan stint in March, has been working his way back to full fitness, but still able to make a more than positive impact for the Blues despite the game management being required.
“Hayden Carson has run through brick walls for me since he came back in.” - Connell Rawlinson
On Saturday, 20 minutes into the final game of the regular season at home to King’s Lynn Town, where a 0-0 draw proved to be enough for the Blues to secure seventh and a place in the play-offs, with an eliminator game away at Macclesfield on Wednesday, Carson was replaced by Connor Woods after being clattered by a heavy challenge some minutes earlier.
His distress was clear. Hiding his face under his blue and white shirt as he limped off, Carson was embraced by Rawlinson and assistant Colin Woodthorpe, but his upset was visible, and he made his way down the tunnel.
Carson is a player who wants to play, and in high-stakes games like Saturday’s, being forced to withdraw early, something that could potentially alter the trajectory of the game, can be a bitter pill to swallow.
“I think he was more visibly distressed because he wanted to play,” explained Rawlinson to The Seal post match.
“It was quite an early substitution, so he was disappointed he couldn’t continue. We’ll assess the damage, whether it’s major or minor, but Hayden Carson has run through brick walls for me since he came back in. I’ve got nothing but praise for him.”
Like a number of his teammates, Carson is a temporary addition to the Blues squad.
Tom Davies, Michael Kelly, Phil Croker and Fin Roberts are all part of the loan contingent at Chester. In the case of Carson, Davies, Kelly and Croker, that is four of the back five who are somebody else’s guys.
Loan contracts run to the end of the season, and don’t always automatically include the caveats of being able to play in the post season, but it is often the case that they are. After all, the players will want to play, and having additional weeks pay picked up by a loaning club is of benefit to the parent clubs.
Speaking on Chester’s own loan situation, Rawlinson said: “We had conversations before the game this week. These things can’t be left until the last minute, they have to be sorted before we go into the playoffs, or don’t.
“Parent clubs will already have been informed that we were looking to extend a lot of players, so we’ll just see what happens over the next few days.”
No issues are anticipated for any of the loan players on Chester’s books when it comes to play-off availability, but the injury sustained to Carson could be problematic with a short turnaround time to Wednesday evening.
Midfielder Jack Bainbridge, who scored the second in the Blues’ 2-0 win at Macclesfield on Easter Bank Holiday Monday, is side-lined after a training ground injury.