Josh Coburn endured a frustrating wait before his Bristol Rovers bow on Tuesday, but with 45 minutes in his legs he has a clear message for his manager: "I'm ready."
The 19-year-old had to wait more than a month for his Gas debut after joining from Middlesbrough on a season-long loan on deadline day. He suffered a knee injury on the opening day of the season against West Bromwich Albion and completed a nine-week recovery plan at Boro's Rockliffe Park base.
The striker finally got the green light to move down south this week and he played as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 EFL Trophy win over Crystal Palace under-21s at the Mem. The 6ft 3in forward's first appearance was one of several positives for manager Joey Barton on a night when the result was a secondary concern.
