IT doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out the New Year's resolutions of City's crocked foursome Marc Burrow, Stewart Hadley, Mark Shail and David Foy.

The quartet are just desperate to return to fitness and first team action again after varying amounts of time on the sidelines.

It's been a difficult time for the four especially for Hadley who has not started for City since last April with an Achilles problem that eventually required surgery.

For Burrow, who suffered a freak back injury during a game against Stourport Swifts in pre season, his lengthy spell out has meant changing his goals.

Having earned a contract extension last season the versatile Burrow was looking forward to building on last year's displays but now feels he has to prove himself all over again.

"At the start of the season I set myself a lot of goals but those have all gone by the wayside now my goal is to just get back playing again and show what I can do even if it is a few reserve team games," he said.

"This is my last year of my contract and I don't know what is going to happen which is why I need to start playing again to show that I've not lost that ability that I had before.

"I'm desperate to play again.

"You go through stages where you think you've cracked it then you have a bad day but those are infrequent.

"We've all been through it, especially Stewart who has been out the longest.

"Every session I want to keep on building up and push it on though we're nowhere near sharp enough to join the first team lads and I'm missing that involvement - you feel a bit out of it."

Burrow is targeting an end of January comeback but admits it is difficult to be precise.

Foy, out since September, suffered a reaction to his knee injury a few weeks ago but it is now settled down again.

Mark Shail is raring to go again after a bout of tonsillitis hit his comeback plans before Christmas and plans to start light training on Monday with a view to getting a couple of reserve teams under his belt.

"The tonsillitis knocked me back a bit but the knee is fine and I'm hoping to begin on Monday and kick on from there," he said.

"It's been a rough couple of months for me because I was really enjoying my football at the time I got injured."

Mark Owen's stomach muscle strain, which he has been carrying for a few weeks, looks set to keep him out for another fortnight at least.

n City's match with Tamworth on Saturday will have segregation for the away travelling support but the game will not be all ticket for either set of supporters.

n Finally a reminder that the Worcestershire Senior Cup quarter final tie with Halesowen Town has been fixed for Tuesday, January 28, at The Grove, 7.45pm kick off.