JAKE Burns only knew he was playing seven minutes before kick off - after a Moses Mbye injury in warm up led to a swift change in plans.
Burns, who has impressed in recent weeks in the the absence of Daryl Clark, was probably unlucky not to have made the initial 17.
But all that changed when Mbye, back from suspension, pulled his calf in warm-up.
Wellens explained the Mbye situation: "At this time of year, things like that can happen, and what's really important is you don't let things like that throw you.
"In Jake Burns, we had someone there who was very difficult not to pick him in the first place, given the fact they've done such a good job in recent weeks.
"So although it's disappointed we lost a player of the quality of Moses, everybody - myself included - were really calm about the situation.
"Jake Burns got stripped down and went out and played and we just got on with the job, which is how you need to respond in moments that don't quite go your way."
Wellens explained the short turnaround in adjusting his squad following Mbye's injury.
"I did my Sky interview and then James Roby grabbed me to say Moses had pulled his calf in warm up so I reckon it must have been seven or eight minutes before kick off."
Asked about an early prognosis and whether he has a chance for next week, Wellens replied: "I think the fact that he couldn’t play today and with these types of injuries, they never usually recover in quick time.
"What we'll do is get Moses scanned and get some information there in terms of the extent of the injury and then make a decision off the back of that."
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