Declan Caddell left sweating over potential injury worry to Crusaders star 'so valuable to us'
Crusaders manager Declan Caddell has been hit with another injury worry after experienced midfielder Robbie Weir was substituted in the early stages of their 4-0 Premiership defeat to Larne and is waiting to see how serious the issue is.
Caddell is currently without the likes of Jacob Blaney, Harry Jewitt-White and summer signing Kieran McKechnie, who made a promising start to life at the Crues during pre-season, while Jordan Forsythe wasn’t involved on Tuesday after limping off in a weekend win over Dungannon Swifts.
Attacker Stewart Nixon has also missed Crusaders’ last three league matches and losing Weir for any sustained period of time would be a cruel blow for Caddell.
The 36-year-old spent the majority of his career playing in England, representing clubs such as Tranmere Rovers, Burton Albion and Leyton Orient, and his experience plays a crucial role in Caddell’s youthful squad.
In terms of average age, Crusaders have one of the youngest in Northern Ireland’s top-flight with the likes of Adam Brooks, Elliot Dunlop, Evan Easton and Fraser Bryden, who are all aged 21 or under, arriving during the summer transfer window.
Teenage midfielder Josh Williamson has also benefited from playing alongside Weir with the duo impressing at Stangmore Park, and Caddell is hoping for some positive news.
"It's difficult,” Caddell told the club’s media channel on current injuries. “You want everybody fit.
"Harry, Jacob and Kieran are long-term, Jordan we don't really know and Stewarty has a wee ongoing problem.
"The bad thing is we have lost Robbie Weir tonight and we don't know whether that's going to be long or short-term. It's precautionary getting him off because he's so valuable to us.
"We're a young squad...I think Glenavon have the youngest squad in the league and we're second, so they're still learning and banking on those experienced players to weigh in with that experience for the younger lads and talking them through the game, so we missed Robbie when he came off.
"The players gave everything and it's one of those we have to take on the chin and move on."
Weir started his career at Larne before moving to Sunderland and Inver Reds chief Gary Haveron also hopes to see him back soon, saying: “Robbie Weir, a local lad, I hope it’s not a serious knee injury he had.
"I don’t like to see anybody leaving the pitch in those circumstances, certainly not a local lad like Robbie.”