County return a possibility this season for Liam Fontaine
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Liam Fontaine was a surprise inclusion in the Ross County match-day squad against Partick Thistle, but Steven Ferguson says he is still a little bit away from a return to action.
Fontaine has missed the last six months of the season with a ruptured achilles that he sustained against Dundee United on November 10.
The club had thought he would miss the rest of the season, but he was named as a substitute on Saturday.
County co-manager Ferguson says it was nice to have him back, but realistically Fontaine was not going to be used.
“Liam was on the bench because we had nobody else,” Ferguson explained.
“Liam has worked really hard in his recovery, but he’s not quite ready to play.
“Him and young Jack Murray came on to the bench, and if we were to make a defensive substitution it was going to be Jack Murray coming on to the pitch, it wasn’t going to be Liam Fontaine.
“We had that extra space on the bench, and it was one where he’s close, it was nice to have him back in the dressing room and in a strip.
“After the season that he’s had he probably needed that little boost himself.
“It’s great to have Liam back in our group, and he’s such a big influence off the pitch as well as on it. It was nice to have him back.”
With the campaign drawing to a close however, Ferguson has not ruled out getting Fontaine back on the pitch this season, saying: “There’s a chance.
“We’ve waited this long, we’re not going to throw caution to the wind and put him in a position he shouldn’t be in.
“We’ll listen to Liam and the medical team, and when he’s ready to go it will be great to have him back in the group.”