Light Weight Darren!

Dearden said that Caskey has had a new fitness regime of late and it's clearly paid dividents, as Caskey is having one of his best spells in a Notts shirt.

It's also been revealed that Caskey has lost 11lbs in the past few weeks.

And Dearden admitted that he is delighted to see a revitalised Caskey bossing the midfield, as he did at Stockport on Saturday.

A slightly more porkier Caskey earlier in the season

"I think the penny has finally dropped with Darren," Dearden told the Evening Post.

"I am not talking about him realising that he is out of contract at the end of the season. That is not really the issue.

"I am talking about the fact that he knew he could be a better player if he worked at it.

"He has never missed a training session, he has never shirked on that, but some players have to do a little bit more.

"He has always been a little bit weighty for his size, which is just the way he is, but there are things that you can do to counter that."

Dearden also said Caskey's regime isn't to complicated, and that he needs to keep it up.

"You have to realise that there are some things you can't eat and look after yourself a little better than some players.

"And to his credit, Darren seems to have realised that."

"Everyone knows he has talent and hopefully he will be able to demonstrate it a little bit more now," the manager added.

Thumbs up from Billy

"He is getting there, but there is still work to be done."

Can someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the first time, publicly at least, that Dearden has addressed Caskey's weight.

In fact, it actually took Caskey doing something of his own accord, rather than a kick up the backside from the management, that shouldn't be the case.

But, I'll echo Dearden's statements in that a refreshed Caskey, is just what this team needs and hopefully he can put the last two years behind him and finally prove to the Notts faithful just how good he is.

For the full story, make sure you buy today's Nottingham Evening Post.