CITY will monitor Jake Young’s fitness as Graham Alexander vowed to keep the whole squad on their toes for the current run.

Young’s injured ankle kept him out of yesterday’s 1-0 win over Sutton – their third on the bounce.

Tyreik Wright did return to the squad after nearly four weeks out and came on as a second-half substitute.

“We’ve been dealt harshly with a couple of injuries and certainly with Tyreik’s,” said Alexander. “We only had him for an hour in his first game and he’s missed the next three or four weeks.

“I’ve got to learn how to manage him and get the best out of him and use him when he’s fully fit and ready.

“He’s seen people like Clarke Oduor and Calum Kavanagh playing those wide positions as a striker and doing exceptionally well. He’s got a fight on his hands.

“Jake got a bang on his ankle and a little niggle from last week. We’re going to assess him over the weekend.”

Richie Smallwood’s absence in midfield for the first of his two-game ban was covered by Sam Stubbs stepping up from his usual defensive role.

Kevin McDonald was kept on the bench until Matty Platt took a knock late on when Stubbs reverted to the back three.

Alexander added: “We had a couple of players missing and we could have rotated three, four or maybe five.

“But we kept it really simple. Keep everyone where they are playing and doing well and just replace one player, making as little change as possible.

“It’s not usual for Stubbsy to play in midfield but he has the attributes to play there.

“He’s a fit guy, intelligent, good on the ball and he competes. I look beyond the numbers on the back of someone’s shirt and just look at what they can add to that position.

“We wanted to keep the rest of the team as intact as it was and not overcomplicate it by rotating three or four when the lads have been doing well.”

McDonald’s breather was part of the plan for the City boss to monitor the minutes within the team – something he admits he should have done before.

“I learned my lesson over Christmas when I played the same team game in, game out because we were winning and I like to reward players with the shirt.

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“I just thought with the amount of games now and the conditions, it’s difficult to do that.

“I’ve got to try if I can and use the squad wisely to pick the right team that’s always got the physical capabilities to win.

“It’s not just about playing, it’s about winning.

“We train in a way where we make sure everybody is ready so when they get the opportunity they know what they have to do and are also fit enough to take it.

“Sam Stubbs was the epitome of that.”