Pools will keep star Brown in cotton wool
CHRIS Turner today revealed he will keep fit-again James Brown in cotton wool after the Hartlepool United squad returned to work.
The start of pre-season training this morning saw five fresh faces at Pools' Maiden Castle training ground with Adam Boyd, Peter Hartley, Leon McSweeney, Scott Flinders and Neil Austin meeting their new team-mates.
While the quintet will be eager to familiarise themselves with their surroundings, Pools also have a player in their midst who will be as good as a new signing.
Brown has been out of action since November after suffering cruciate ligament damage to his right knee during an innocuous challenge against Bristol Rovers, at Victoria Park.
The 22-year-old has now recovered and should take part in contact training sessions for the first time since his injury this week.
But Turner is adopting a cautious approach with Brown and will be hesitant over whether to use the former Cramlington Boys striker when Pools head for their pre-season tour of Holland on Monday, July 13.
The director of sport said: "James Brown coming back is like a new signing.
"But you never know what sort of condition he will be in until he begins training.
"After being out for so long, he might still be a little bit short of fitness when he returns even if he thinks he is ready.
"It is something we will have to monitor.
"We are not going to throw him straight into the early pre-season games.
"We are going to go off the physio's schedule over when he starts back."
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Weather for Hartlepool
Monday 13 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
