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Exeter City coach Gary Caldwell has given an update on Harambee Stars fullback Vincent Harper after fears arose that he could have suffered an injury during their match against Barnsley.

Harper featured in the 2-1 win as he made a long-anticipated return since he has been out since December. He was one of the standout players for the club, but he was withdrawn four minutes after the hour mark.

His withdrawal caused fears that he could have been injured, but his manager has spoken about the substitution.

“We knew we would have to take him (Harper) off at some point; he has not played a lot of football, so physically, we knew we would have to get him off.

“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,” Caldwell told the club’s portal.

Harper lauded

The tactician praised the Harambee Star and the general performance of his side after collecting all three points against Barnsley.

“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.

“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.

“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,” he concluded.

Harper has featured in 18 games for the English lower league side, and he hopes that his performance will convince Engin Firat to involve him in future Harambee Stars’ duties.