IAN Rowe says defender Jamie Oliver has been a breath of fresh air for Gornal Athletic.

The Stourbridge centre-back is on loan at Garden Walk as he continues his recovery from a knee ligament injury which has kept him out all season.

He was certainly needed for his debut in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Stafford Town, as Rowe faced something of a defensive crisis with first choice pair Chris Waterhouse and Conor Gater both missing.

Veteran Pete Wood was also unavailable meaning Oliver was paired with Kieron Parsons at the back and Rowe could not have been happier with his performance.

The Gornal boss said: “Jamie Oliver was superb.

“He came in and gave us plenty of vocals, you would not have believed it was his first game of the season.

“He was like a breath of fresh air and I’m hopeful we can keep him for around two to three weeks.

“That should allow him to play about five games and build his strength.”

Oliver was set to continue in the starting line-up for last night’s Midweek Floodlit Cup quarter-final with Goodrich and Saturday’s derby showdown with Dudley Sports.

Rowe is hopeful of having Gater and Wood back for the game at Hillcrest Avenue, though Waterhouse will definitely miss out as he completes a suspension.

Meanwhile, Sports narrowly lost 3-2 to league leaders Black Country Rangers and Rowe is expecting a tough battle against Tony Gore and Paul Blakeley’s side.

He said: “By all accounts they have brought some decent players in and Tony’s side never make it easy for you.”