Peterhead manager Jim McInally is looking forward to having a possible selection headache with Isaac Layne back in contention to return to the side.
The striker has trained fully this week as the Blue Toon prepare to face East Fife on Saturday.
A knee problem has restricted Layne to just four appearances in the Buchan club’s first 11 matches this season.
McInally believes he can be a key player at Balmoor this term and is pleased to have him back.
The SPFL’s longest-serving manager said: “Isaac is an important player if we have him available and this week is the first time for a while he’d been able to train without any restrictions.
“In his mind he seems to feel fully fit now, what we have to do is try to make sure we don’t injure him again when we bring him back in with a tiredness or fatigue injury.
“So we’ll be careful, but certainly it’s good to have Isaac back involved because he is a big player for us.
“I know exactly what we get from Isaac, he’s a handful and we saw that even against Dundee United in the first game of the season.”
Although Ben Armour missed last weekend’s defeat at Falkirk with a hamstring niggle, he could return against East Fife.
With Armour, Layne and Steven Boyd all available, it would give McInally a selection dilemma.
He added: “If you look at Isaac and Ben Armour both being fit, I think those two would be a real handful to play against.
“You’ve also got Steven Boyd to add into that who gives us a different option, so with all three of them available it gives us good options and gives me a headache.
“But it’s a headache I’ve been looking forward to having because every manager wants to have options.”
Injuries may have affected some members of Peterhead’s squad, but Boyd has been a near-ever-present so far this season – the ex-Hamilton Accies attacker has missed just one game.
McInally has been pleased with the 23-year-old’s contribution, but hopes he can add more goals to his impressive displays.
Boyd has netted twice so far this term and McInally said: “I’m delighted with Steven and what he’s giving us this season. I think he’s showing us the player that he is because he’s got himself so much fitter.
“We always knew he had the class, it was just about fitness. It would be good if he could add a few more goals to his game because he’s certainly getting in good positions.
“Sometimes when he gets there he’s a different finisher to other players, he’ll try to pass the ball in whereas other forwards might just smash it.
“But Steven has ambitions to climb back up the levels and if he keeps going the way he is going then somebody else at a higher level will take him at some point.”
