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Caldwell has explained why he had to sub off the Harambee Stars defender when he clutched his hamstring despite enjoying his "best game" since signing for the club.
Exeter City coach Gary Caldwell has cleared the air on why he subbed off Harambee Stars defender Vincent Harper during their 2-1 win over Barnsley on Saturday evening.
Harper had a dominating performance on his return to the side having not featured much since December, and produced an arguable man-of-the-match display in the win.
However, he had to pull off in the 64th minute clutching his hamstring, but Caldwel has now revealed that he was subbed off as a precaution given he has not played much over the last one month.
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14:02 - 28.01.2024
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Harper, who received his maiden Harambee Stars debut last October, shone but had to pull of injured in Exeter's 2-1 win over Barnsley.
“We knew we would have to take him off at some point, he has not played a lot of football so physically, we knew we would have to get him off,” Caldwell said.
“We knew the changes we were going to make so yeah, we were ready and prepared for that and at that point we had to see the game out.
“We had physical players on the last line to defend crosses which we know Barnsley are good at. This is not an easy stadium to win at. I don’t think anyone has won here since september so it shows the magnitude of this performance and victory.”
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Caldwell has praised Harper, saying he had the best game of his Exeter career since joining the League One outfit back in July 2023.
"Vinnie Harper played his best game for the club,
“Tom Carroll and Reece Cole dominated the middle of the pitch, all the defenders played with such composure.
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“To single people out would be unfair on the team, because we all functioned in a way I haven't seen before and that has to be the standard we have to recreate every single week."
Harper has now played 18 league games for Exeter and will be hoping he can return to the pitch quickly and keep impressing in order to make him ready for Harambee Stars’ March assignments.
Follow our Pulse Sports WhatsApp channel for more updates.
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