JAKE Buxton will have nearly a full squad to chose from when the Brewers travel to Sunderland on Tuesday.
Only striker Kane Hemmings will be missing through injury with the rest of the team having recovered from injury or Covid-19 and with no niggles reported after Tuesday’s 4-2 win.
That victory has lifted spirits in the camp and means the players are eager for the next challenge.
The manager said: “We woke up on Wednesday morning with a better feeling than we have had in previous games but also the mood in training, you could tell that confidence was coming back into the group and the performance levels in training were very good.
“A few home truths were spoken after the Northampton game and I let a few players know what I thought. We dusted ourselves down, picked things up on Monday and then it’s down to the players to carry out what we wanted them to do and on Tuesday they carried it out just as we had asked.
“We would have liked to have backed it up with another good performance tomorrow but we have been going Saturday-Tuesday; Saturday-Tuesday so it’s a much-needed rest for the players and then we go again on Tuesday.
“We are know looking for consistency of performance.”
Buxton for the first time this season will have the luxury of deciding who to leave out rather than having his hands tied by injury or losing players to Covid.
“Kane Hemmings is the only player who will not be in contention for Tuesday, but he will be pushing for the Crewe game at home. He has had an improvement in his rehab. He has not been on the grass yet for training but he’s improving every day.
“On Tuesday I had to make some tough decisions and leave people out and the lads who came in and came off the bench responded well.
“It’s the first time I have had to speak to people about having a rest and being out of the squad and that shows where we have been in terms of Covid and our injury list. Tuesday is the first time we had a near full choice of players and the outcome is that we win a game of football.”