Tino’s time - Can Anjorin guide Town to safety
Zak Armitage, Feature Writer
Twitter: @SportWriterZak
Tino’s time - Can Anjorin guide Town to safety?
The Championship resumes this weekend after a month hiatus for the World Cup, a break which could be key to Town’s survival if they've used it to their advantage.
After a tough opening to the season, things haven’t been any easier since the arrival of Mark Fotheringham in late September, with results still to pick up and Town’s new boss having to deal with an injury crisis, which has seen a handful of first-teamers sidelined.
When play was postponed for the World Cup, there won’t have been many teams in the Championship, if any, as glad for it as Town. It’s allowed Mark Fotheringham a golden opportunity to implement his ideas into the squad, without the barrage of fixtures Town had prior to the break. For the first time since his arrival, the pressure has eased on the Scotsman and he’s had invaluable time to learn about his squad.
The month break has also coincided with a welcome return to fitness for Tino Anjorin, who had proven himself as an important piece of the Town furniture at the start of the season. It seemed like the attacking midfielder was starting to ignite in West Yorkshire, off the back of some stellar performances, with the game against West Brom springing to mind.
A bout of Glandular Fever, however, has kept Anjorin on the sidelines since September, which has been a big blow, particularly to Fotheringham, who hasn’t been able to call on Tino since his arrival. Having Anjorin back to full fitness will add much-needed firepower to a Town attack which has looked toothless all season, particularly since his absence.
By now, the Town faithful will be all too familiar with Tino’s qualities. Performances like Coventry away last season and the aforementioned West Brom at home this season have left fans craving for more. Now, more than ever, Town need to hope Anjorin can keep injuries at bay, because his influence in the second half of this season could be integral. It could well be the difference between relegation and survival come May.
Almost a full year has passed since Tino’s arrival in West Yorkshire, in that time we’ve had to show a great deal of patience for the glimpses of sheer excellence we've seen. If those glimpses can rise to prominence and Anjorin can enjoy a clean bill of health for six months, he could be Town’s saviour. He's been missed in the two months leading up to the break, there was a Tino shaped hole in the team that Fotheringham struggled to vacate.
Mark Fotheringham would be well advised to try and get the very best out of Tino, for his sake as well as ours. 26 huge games lie ahead for Town, they need Tino at their disposal for them.
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