Barrow AFC captain Josh Granite is making faster progress than expected from his broken collarbone, but the medical staff are still being cautious over when he'll be ready to be return.

It is just over a month since Granite played on with the injury, as well as a dislocated shoulder, in the closing stages of the Bluebirds' 1-0 win against Sutton United, which prevented them from finishing the game with nine men.

The 27-year-old went through a vigorous work-out on the pitch prior to AFC's match at Maidenhead United last week, meaning there's not much wrong in terms of fitness, but he is still not expected to play again until the New Year.

Manager Ian Evatt said: "It's purely down to the contact side of things. With non-contact, he'll be joining in pretty quickly, but with the injury he had, when he starts coming into contact, with the old shoulder barging and using his physical presence on the pitch, it can disturb the fracture.

"It can certainly cause him a lot of pain, so we have to be careful with that and make sure that he is full healed before he goes into full contact again."

Granite and goalkeeper Johnny Saltmer are the only two players from Barrow's squad definitely ruled out of tomorrow's home game against Aldershot Town, for which Evatt himself will be serving a touchline ban for picking up four yellow cards on the touchline this season.

The Bluebirds are, however, working hard to contain a virus that has been affecting some players and staff this week.

Evatt said: "Unfortunately, when you're in a confined space and you spend a lot of time with each other, people can pick up illnesses and bugs.

"It's just the nature of the beast; the time of year, the changing of the temperature. It happens and every team has to go through it.

"As a player, you're very rarely 100 per cent fit. You're always carrying some sort of niggle or some sort of illness, go you just have to get on with it."