Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Pain no barrier for skipper Pearce
LIONHEARTED leader Jason Pearce is determined to defy the pain and soldier on to help his troops seal promotion glory.[LNB] The centre-half, who broke a toe in training at the end of February, was clearly struggling during the closing stages of Tuesday night's victory over Hereford United.[LNB] Pearce revealed the injury was still troubling him, but the fierce competitor insisted he was in no mood to watch from the sidelines.[LNB] A multiple player of the year as Cherries avoided relegation last term, Pearce has again been an inspirational member of Eddie Howe's team this time round.[LNB] And with just four games remaining and Cherries six points clear of the chasing pack, the dedicated skipper is relishing the prospect of guiding his team into League One.[LNB] He told the Echo: I'm just trying to play through the pain at the moment.[LNB] Promotion is what I want and everyone in the team wants that, so if I can help towards that and play and help the team get wins, I will be delighted.[LNB] I had an x-ray a couple of weeks ago and I've still got a slight fracture there. But because it's a clean fracture I'm able to play on it, but it is still quite painful.[LNB] The radiologist has said I'm not going to make it worse by playing on it now, so I'm happy to do it.[LNB] Once we get past this Saturday, the games will be Saturday to Saturday, so I can rest during the week to get it right and, hopefully, be all right for the games.[LNB] I've been dying to get back ever since I did the injury and, to get back in as quickly as I did, I was delighted.[LNB] I just want to stay in the team now and help us get promotion.[LNB] Pearce, who says he has a pre-match injection to help him overcome the pain, is the latest in a long line of players to go through the pain barrier this season as Cherries' wafer-thin squad has defied the odds.[LNB] The tough-tackling defender, who was named captain in January, missed six matches with the toe problem before returning to face Rochdale on Easter Monday.[LNB] He added: To lead the team out is great, so I definitely want to play through the pain to get that promotion and lead the boys out.[LNB] It will be a tough run-in but the six-point gap is a great one to have at this stage of the season.[LNB] Meanwhile, Howe reported that Shaun Cooper (Achilles) was unlikely to be risked against Darlington on Saturday, with Ryan Garry (hip flexor) described as a big doubt.[LNB] Pearce is one of two Cherries players nominated for the Professional Footballers' Association Fans' Player of the Year award for League Two.[LNB] Along with top scorer Brett Pitman, he is joined on the shortlist by Calvin Zola (Crewe Alexandra), Chris O'Grady (Rochdale), Michael Symes (Accrington Stanley) and Kasper Schmeichel (Notts County).[LNB] To register your vote, visit fansaward.givemefootball.com Cherries' youth team drew 1-1 at Swansea City on Tuesday thanks to a Bradley Magookin overhead kick.[LNB] The result followed a 0-0 stalemate against Cheltenham Town on Saturday.[LNB]
