LONG-TERM injury victim Andy Parry has the chance to end the season by reaching the light at the end of the tunnel tomorrow.

The 25-year-old defensive midfielder has been out of action since injuring his knee in a Barrow AFC training session in September.

A seemingly innocuous challenge left the former Luton Town man requiring surgery on his ligaments, and for the past seven-and-a-half months he has been unable to feature for the Bluebirds.

However, Parry has been noticeable while warming up ahead of recent home matches at Holker Street, working with the likes of fellow knee surgery patient Joel Dixon away from the first-team squad.

The Liverpudlian has also stepped up his efforts in training at the club’s Hopwood Hall base, in Rochdale, and manager Paul Cox is weighing up the possibility of including him in the match-day squad against Dover Athletic tomorrow (12.15pm kick-off).

“We’ll have a look at where Andy is,” said Cox, who recently welcomed back star striker Byron Harrison from a near-three-month lay-off with an ankle issue.

“Andy is training well – he has done some full sessions – but we want to make sure that he is right, more mentally than physically, to step back in. There could be an opportunity for him.”

While Parry has the chance of featuring in the season-ending fixture against Dover, goalkeeper Dixon is still some way away from a return to competitive action.

He suffered his knee ligament injury late in the day in the 3-0 home win over Guiseley in November, with the Bluebirds having employed three keepers – Tim Erlandsson, Andy Coughlin and Jon Flatt – for the remainder of the campaign.

He too has been seen warming up ahead of recent home games, but the 24-year-old will not be fit to play until pre-season in July.

Both Dixon and Parry are out of contract at the end of this season – the former coming to the end of a two-year deal and the latter having signed from Luton early last year.

Cox was quick to stress that their injuries would play no role in any decision over whether they would be offered new deals, and said: “I know what both these boys can do. With those two, as with the whole squad, when we finish the season, that’s when I’m going to have a real sit-down.

“I’ll speak to Paul, see where we are in terms of finances, in terms of planning and in terms of going forward, and make professional, logical decisions on everybody, with the onus on the club progressing.

“It wouldn’t matter if somebody has played one game or 50. It’s about moving forward and getting better for next season.”

Cox has a full squad available for tomorrow’s match, with the chance that Harrison will start his first game since January 24, after making a positive impact off the bench at Braintree, where he scored his 22nd goal of the campaign.