'Short of breath' Ryan Fallowfield pleased to be able to help Harrogate Town to 'very decent' point against Exeter City

The 25-year-old defender was one of three Sulphurites players to test positive for Covid-19 earlier this month, and has admitted that he was hit particularly hard during his spell in self-isolation.

Having been bed-ridden for eight days, he made a tentative return to group training on Sunday, but unlike fellow virus victims Brendan Kiernan and Aaron Martin, was only deemed fit enough for a place on the substitutes' bench for Tuesday's visit of the Grecians.

With stand-in right-back Jay Williams visibly tiring on what was his first start for the club since his recent arrival from Kettering Town, Fallowfield was pressed into action in the 76th minute, not long after fellow defender Warren Burrell had been sent off for two bookable offences.

"Jay, who did a brilliant job at right-back, was getting tired because he's maybe not played as many games as he'd have liked recently, so it was time for me to come on," the former Hull City man revealed.

"The gaffer kept asking me how I felt because obviously I've not trained much because Covid wiped me out. I was just honest with him and said 'look, I'm not sure what I'm capable of', but Thirs [Paul Thirlwell] turned to me and said 'you need to come on, Jay is feeling it', so I just had to do a job.

"Just as I was about to come on, Wazza [Burrell] got sent off, so the job became a little bit more difficult, but we've kept a clean-sheet in the end, so I've done my job, so have the rest of the back-four and everyone in front of us.

"I didn't move further than about 10 yards outside the 18-yard-box. I didn't come on to do what I usually would do, flying up and down. Because we were pinned in our own half it probably made it a bit easier.

"I had a job to do, which was defend what we had rather than trying to overlap down the right, and I feel like I executed that."

Fallowfield, well-known for his all-action style on the football pitch, undoubtedly falls into the category of an athlete in peak condition, yet rather worryingly, he was left in a bad way after contracting Covid-19.

However, while he is clearly still some way from full-fitness, he didn't need a second invitation when it came to tackling Exeter.

"My girlfriend's family got Covid and then it passed on to me and it literally wiped me out," he added.

"I was in bed for eight days and I'm still short of breath now, and have no sense of smell or taste. It really did take its toll on me.

"So, that's why the gaffer kept asking me how long I could last. We've trained and it was high intensity on Sunday, then a lighter session Monday because it was the day before a game. I did both of them and then Rachel [Davis - club physio] rang me and told me 'the gaffer wants to put you on the bench on Tuesday night are you okay with that?'

"I said 'yeah'. Obviously I want to be part of it and to be playing and get back up to speed and the only way I'm going to be able to do that is by playing when it's possible and training as hard as I can."

As for Tuesday's game itself, Fallowfield believes that he and his team-mates were good value for their point against a Grecians side who are League Two's leading scorers this term.

"Obviously, I was in the stand watching for most of the game and I thought we played well, we had a few half-chances. On another night we could have been 1-0 up going into the last 20 minutes and had something to hold on to," he said.

"But we've held on to a point and it's a very decent one, a positive result.

"We'd definitely have taken a point, that's four we have taken now from a very good side, who I imagine will be fighting to get in the play-offs again this season, plus a clean-sheet.

"It is pleasing. It's a big positive to take into the Salford game on Friday, it's something to build on."