Injured AFC Telford man John Marsden being careful not to rush back

The 24-year-old has been on the sidelines since limping off in the 2-0 victory at North Ferriby United on October 21.

On how his recovery is going, the ex-Shrewsbury Town man said: “It is one of them where you can’t really put a date on it.

“It is getting better every day, but you can’t rush things. It’s been a bit of a nightmare.

“People have come back early from these sorts of injuries and then ended up missing months in the end.

“(Physio) Jake (Roe) is doing everything he can to help build the strength back up in my ankle, it’s just getting the swelling out.”

Marsden is one of two Bucks players that are out with ankle injuries, the other being former skipper Jack Rea. The 25-year-old midfielder has not played since August and had a scam, which revealed an issue with the joint. The club are hoping he will not need an operation.

“There’s a limit to what I can do on it at the moment,” said Marsden.

“I’ve been doing work in the gym, keeping my fitness up, but you can’t overdo it.

“It’s the same for Jack. He has been out for longer than me.

“It is frustrating for both of us, as you want to be out there playing.

“But you just have to take your time with it and make sure it’s right.”

Marsden and Rea are two of Telford’s more experienced heads.

They have watched on from the stands as the Bucks have gone on a three-match winless run, the latest game being them crashing out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 loss at Hereford on Saturday.

On how Telford have fared recently, Marsden said: “There was positives to take from Saturday, although we are obviously all disappointed to be out of the Cup.

“We have a young squad and it’s quite mad to be one of the older heads – me and Jack are two of the most experienced players.

“It’s frustrating to miss any game and have to watch on from the stands.

“Hopefully when I’m back, I can slot back into the team and lead some of the lads around me.”