Russell McLean will have to play through the pain barrier if he is to feature for Peterhead again this season.
McLean has an ongoing issue with tendonitis in his knee and has been advised to rest and let the inflammation settle.
However, with three games left of the season and the Blue Toon not mathematically safe from the relegation play-off yet, McLean will make himself available.
Peterhead are at home to Queen’s Park on Saturday, four points clear of ninth spot. The draw at Dumbarton last weekend keeps the Sons in ninth place and adrift of Jim McInally’s side.
McLean has been visiting former Blue Toon captain Steven Noble, who works as a physio in Paisley and had been helping Simon Ferry with his Achilles issues earlier in the season.
“I don’t know how it will be for Saturday,” said McLean. “It’s an over-loading issue and it’s been manageable to an extent, but the last two weeks it’s got pretty bad.
“I’ve been seeing Stevie Noble and he’s told me to stop and let it recover, but that’s not feasible.
“On Saturday there wasn’t really any pain. But then on Sunday morning getting out of bed and getting about was painful.
“If I’m fit to play then I will be available. Once we’re safe from relegation then hopefully I can look to lay off a bit.
“Just giving it time to settle down and build the strength back up again would help. But when the games mean so much, it’s not good for me personally.”
McLean is Peterhead’s top scorer this season with 15 goals in all competitions. He does not feel like the team have been under pressure all season, only in the last couple of months when their form had dropped off.
“I’ve never been in the relegation play-offs and it’s the last thing you want, fighting for your life,” he said.
“The pressure has not really been on until the last three or four weeks. Probably after the Alloa game, we thought the pressure really was on because the gap had tightened at the bottom.
“The last three results have put us in a good position and built a bit of confidence. But the last two months we’ve been looking at it and thinking: ‘we could really get dragged into it’.
“All the players and coaching staff know the position we’re in is not good enough. We should be looking up the way rather than down the table.
“We’ve played well most of the season, but not got enough points, which is why we’re in the position we’re in.”
