STRIKER Byron Harrison has handed Barrow AFC manager Paul Cox an unexpected fitness boost.

The 29-year-old front-man was facing the prospect of having his season curtailed last week by the ankle injury picked up in last month's win over Lincoln City.

A scan revealed what looked to be ligaments detached from the bone, which would have required surgery and ended a campaign in which he leads the Bluebirds scoring charts with 21 goals.

However, a second visit to a specialist, and more analysis and treatment by Barrow physio Sean Riley have given cause for hope.

Following the use of a special inflation boot, Harrison is now walking without a limp and the swelling has gone down significantly, while Riley believes the ligament detachment may be a long-standing issue which does not affect his ability to play.

Boss Paul Cox, while channelling his inner Doctor McCoy and insisting he is a manger, not a physio, is now hopeful Harrison will be back much sooner than feared.

“He's walking about, a lot of the swelling has gone down,” said Cox, who only a week ago was facing the prospect Harrison would not play again this season. “I'm really positive – and this is only my opinion – that he could be back sooner rather than later, which is brilliant news.

“The lad has got a smile on his face. I looked at the ankle and you couldn't really tell which ankle was the one he had damaged.

“I'm really positive, fingers crossed, he will be back sooner rather than later. He's walking around and it's really positive seeing him as he is at the minute.

“When we got the news on the scan, it was negative. But Sean has done his due diligence and he has covered every aspect and worked on it. He has been to see the specialist again, and we now think that the ligament might be a long-standing thing, or that the swelling created some sort of issue with the scan.

“Talking to the lad, I think he seems 100 per cent better in himself and positive about making a speedy recovery.

“I think it has given everybody a lift, the whole squad. Everyone knows, not just as a player, but as a person, what he brings to us.

“Credit has to be given to Sean, who has done a very good job with him.”

He added: “First and foremost, I'm not a physio – I don't want to say anything for certain, only for him to have a scan and then break down and make myself look foolish.

“I'm a football manager, I'm not a physio, I'm not a doctor, but I've had that kind of injury numerous times. He's walking – there's not even a limp in him now, he's walking around. Sean has done a fantastic job on him, he really has, full credit should be given to him.

“He's been wearing a special inflation boot which seems to have taken the swelling down, and the lad is walking around smiling.

“We don't want to run before we can walk, but he's made great strides. If he carries on like this, I don't think it will be long before he is back in the thick of things.”

There is also positive news over new signing Inih Effiong, who missed the defeat to Forest Green Rovers a fortnight ago with an ankle issue.

He was ineligible for the FA Trophy tie against Kidderminster Harriers last weekend, but trained under the watchful eye of Riley before the game and has started full training with the AFC squad this week, with a potential debut awaiting at Aldershot on Saturday.

Cox said: “Inih has trained on Monday and Tuesday.

“It's now more to do with the physicality of the game, getting him up to speed with full-time fitness, full-time sharpness, and getting him conditioned to everyday training. It's all positive.

“There are little fractions of his overall fitness we've been working on improving over the past few weeks. It might take him a little longer to acclimatise to this level, a bit like Moussa (Diarra) when he first came in.

“He's gone from part-time training to full-time. It's about getting the overall fitness into his body and also how his body recovers from the day-to-day training.”