BARROW AFC have been handed an injury boost from full-back Shaun Beeley.

Scans on the 27-year-old's injured groin have revealed only minor inflammation, relieving worries that the problem – which has kept him sidelined for a month – might be more severe.

Manager Paul Cox and club physio Sean Riley are now consulting with doctors about the way forward, but Cox is hopeful that there will be positive progress made soon towards getting Beeley back in the AFC squad,

“There is a little bit of inflammation on one of his tendons, but that's on the other side from where he is feeling it,” Cox said of the scan results. “Sean is just waiting from feedback from the doctor to see how we now progress with it.

“It looks as though it's good news, because there is not a lot that has shown up, but we want to make sure that we get professional advice about how to progress with it before we move forward.

“The inflammation is where the pain was originally, but then it moved across to the other side, which is where Beels is feeling it of late. The inflammation is on one of the tendons attached to the groin and we're hoping that will settle down with a little bit of core work.

“We've got to take the best advice possible, which Sean is doing, to get Shaun back as quickly as possible, but to get him back as well to a state where we are not going to be yo-yoing with him. We want him back for the long-term, not to fill a hole.”