Jobi McAnuff may have been a big help for Ross Embleton as part of the coaching staff this season, but the boss conceded that he'll be a far greater asset on the pitch.

The club captain made his first appearance of the season on Saturday when he came on as a substitute for James Dayton following a groin injury sustained at the end of the last campaign.

He spent the other parts of the season as a player/coach in Embleton's staff, and the boss has thanked McAnuff for his support in the role.

He said: "I can't express how much of a support and how great he has been for me this season, but ultimately we want to see him out there.

"I think it's easy to forget what a major influence he was on us last year. We kept rolling him out in the best way that we could at the back end of the season knowing that he was injured and he kept going through it.

"When it's getting tough and when it's getting difficult, to be able to bring him off the bench today, from a selfish perspective, is fantastic. I'd rather him be out there than sat next to me, in the nicest possible way."

Embleton also admitted that he had wondered what the season would have been like with McAnuff not injured, but did not want to dismiss what the other players have achieved.

He said: "I think you always do [wonder] but I don't want to take anything else away from anybody else. Nobody else is 38-years-old and has played at the level he has. He has those qualities to manage people around him."