Adnan's got to push it!

Sep 10 2005 By Mel Booth, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

POPULAR midfielder Adnan Ahmed will be encouraged to push himself to win his fitness quest in the next couple of weeks.

The 21-year-old has been struggling to overcome a knee niggle which has dogged him all through pre-season and the first few weeks of the campaign.

The tough-tackling player - a key performer in Town's excellent run-in to last season - has yet to figure in Peter Jackson's senior line-up this time and he may still have a little time to wait.

Ahmed scored his first goal of the Pontin's League campaign in the 2-0 midweek win at Bradford and he's already pencilled into the Reserves' line-up again at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday (7.00).

"I was very pleased for Adnan to score the other night," said Jackson, who also welcomed back Mark Hudson from his groin injury.

"Adnan is still not back to the full match fitness in terms of where he was at the end of last season when he was in the first team and doing excellently.

"He's probably still got a couple of Reserve matches to do, but he is getting there slowly but surely."

Ahmed remains under supervision from physio Lee Martin and Jackson revealed he is still niggled by the injury, which he has rested in the early weeks of the season.

"He is still slightly feeling it, but he will be okay," said Jackson.

"Adnan will have to keep pushing himself to get back to the level he was at before."