Ferguson rules out playing comeback amid injury crisis

The absence of Jordan Baker for the rest of the season, following injuries sustained as a result of an assault on a night out, leaves the Sky Blues with just three recognised strikers in Gary McCutcheon, James Costello and teenager Neil Lowry for the remainder of the campaign.

However, former Northern Ireland international Ferguson has decided against dusting down the boots and adding a final chapter to a remarkable playing career by registering himself as a player.

“I actually thought about it last week, just to have another body on the teamsheet,” Ferguson told Times Sport.

“I sat down and analysed it, but I haven’t trained properly from August, I haven’t done a pre-season.

You can’t just do it simply because you’ve been a player before. When you’ve been out for six months you can’t just step in and play.

“I’ll concentrate on trying to progress the younger players rather than have a 42-year-old holding some of the younger ones back.

“Jamie Davidson can play up top as well so we have two experienced and two young lads in attack. We might have to mix and match a wee bit but we won’t just throw the two young lads in at the deep end together when we’re up against it.”

It’s not just up front where Ferguson’s panel is threadbare – midfielder Mark Surgenor will be out for six to eight weeks with medial knee ligament damage, while right-back Tony Kane tweaked a hamstring in training last week.

Neither of them will be available for this Saturday’s crunch Carling Premiership trip to Glenavon (3pm), although Conor Downey may be available after illness kept him out of Friday night’s 3-1 win at Carrick Rangers.

Another absentee – for an altogether different reason – is teenage defender Curtis Woods, who has quit football to concentrate on athletics, a sport in which he excelled as a schoolboy.

“Curtis phoned me on Thursday night on my way to training to tell me he didn’t want to play football any more.

“I wasn’t aware but he’s a great 400-metre runner. He went to the indoor athletics at the Odyssey the previous weekend and obviously got the buzz for it again, although the timing of his decision isn’t ideal for us.

“We had a tough week, losing five players for one reason or another and the bench against Carrick was very young and inexperienced.

“The sooner we get some of the more experienced players back for the run-in the better but as I said when I first came in, I won’t be scared to throw the young lads in.

“It’s maybe just a bit tight to throw some of the younger ones in to the defensive positions straight away but their chance will come if they keep plugging away.

“It’s an experience for the young players coming into the first team – everyone has to do it at some stage.

“They have been in and around the first team and it will happen again before the end of the season. “Hopefully if we get into a comfortable position in the league, we might get a chance to look at some of the young lads,” added Ferguson.

Seven Towers Supporters’ Club transport for Saturday’s game at Lurgan leaves Henry Street car park at 1.45pm.

There will be a special meeting for Seven Towers members at 1pm where United’s Supporters’ Liaison Officer Philip Simpson will outline his plans, while the club’s Joker promotion will also be drawn.