Linnets boss voices concerns on workload of midfielder

Adam Lakeland has voiced his concerns about the increased workload on midfielder Cody Johnson.The Linnets boss has been trying to protect the 20-year-old, who was brought off during the second half of Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory against Oxford City at The Walks.Johnson – on loan from League One Stockport County – has regularly been recalled by his parent club’s U21 side for Premier League Cup games during his time in Norfolk.Lakeland said: “Cody – it was a doubt whether he was going to actually be available for today because he’s played I think 42, 43 games already this season, which is madness.“We’ve expressed our feelings to his parent club and there’s been games that he’s been pulled back there to play.”He’s been with us all season, we’re obviously competing to try and finish in the top seven and I see other players that are there, players coming off the bench at Buxton and Cody’s being dragged back playing full games, and then he’s expected to do the same for us.“We had to bring him off on Saturday because he was tightening up, he was a doubt for today, he’s passed a fitness test and got through. “We were 2-0 up at home against 10 men – that’s an opportunity for us to bring him off the pitch and just protect him a little bit ahead of the weekend where we’ll need him again. “But it’s fair to say that we probably did lose our way a little bit when he did come off and that’s credit to him and something for me to think about.”Lakeland added: “We’ve been paying his wages all season and been exposing him to games week in, week out, and now he’s got a little bit of jet lag.“I think there’s been games that with his load probably he would have benefited from having a rest in certain midweek games, but it’s a lot of football for any player and we’re only in the middle of February. “We’ve just got to manage him, which we will do and we’ll look after him properly and hopefully get him right for the weekend.”The defensive midfielder, who has been outstanding for Lynn this season, will have another pivotal role to play when Lynn travel to Darlington on Saturday and Kidderminster Harriers on Tuesday night. Tuesday night’s win lifted Lynn back into the National League North play-off places – but Lynn’s boss admitted his side made hard work of it.“We turned it into a struggle – it shouldn’t have been,” he said. “I don’t think we played with enough energy, tempo, purpose, intent in that second period. Conceded a completely unnecessary goal and that just turned it into a game and I think that we then lacked composure.”The Lynn boss, who hopes to bring in another player in the next few days, has a clean bill of health for Saturday.”We’ve got everybody fully fit and available, except Josh Coulson, who’s a little bit banged up from Saturday,” he said.“But we’ve got three or four lads who aren’t even in the 16 and we’ve got a strong bench there. So we’ve got us a good squad, we’ve got plenty of bodies, but as always we’ll do what we can to try and strengthen.”