Port Vale captain Ben Garrity has acknowledged he needs to manage his fitness more carefully and accept sitting out matches when he feels discomfort, rather than pushing through injuries.
Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Garrity reflected on his approach to playing through pain. "I just want to play every single minute I can but I need to realise sometimes that maybe I can't play when I am feeling something," he said.
Manager's approach to fitness management
Manager Jon Brady has taken a different approach to Garrity's pre-season preparation following a succession of injuries in recent seasons that affected the midfielder after an initially stellar start to his Vale career. "This approach we've had is a little bit different. I'm not the biggest fan of it I want to be out there but I can't complain. What the gaffer's told me is he has the best interests for me," Garrity told the station.
The captain admitted frustration with being left out but recognised the logic behind Brady's strategy. "I'll never not want to play but if the gaffer thinks I'm not going to play it doesn't mean I am going to be happy about it. But his best interest is maybe to not get us injured," he said.
Ready to return
Garrity now feels he is ready to resume playing. "I'm ready now. I feel like I'm ready to go," he told BBC Radio Stoke.
