Several of the Imps’ missing players are closing in on a return, but Thursday night might be a little too early for them.
Josh Honohan is not expected back yet, and James Collins is a long-term absentee, but Ben House, Tom Bayliss, Adam Jackson and Oscar Thorn are on the recovery trail. Where they are on that journey may surprise a few as they close in on a return, but as Michael Skubala admitted in his pre-match press conference, they’re unlikely to feature against the Brewers.
“We’ve got a few coming back a bit sooner. Probably not for Burton will be a bit too soon,” he said on YouTube.
“Ben House is progressing really nicely on the grass. Tom Bayliss is fastly progressing as well. So hopefully we’ll see them two not before long.
“Jacko’s not far away behind them and then Oscar Thorn is a bit further away than that. They’re coming back nicely. But maybe just maybe for Burton.”
One ‘issue’ that Michael does have is their eagerness to get back into full training. when we hear ‘back on the grass’ we envisage they’re in full training, but that’s not the case, no matter how much the players wish it was.
“They’re out on the grass with the medical team, really going through their markers to get them back in, and they’re just itching to get back into team training.
“They’re itching to get back, this week into kicking balls because they just want to help and support the team move forward.”
Every club does things differently with injuries, but as Michael explains, we try to be very careful with bringing players back. Sometimes, that has frustrated fans, who see players coming off after 60 minutes, but there is a bigger picture than some supporters might not always understand.
“We are very, very thorough. Kieran leads that with Josh and all the medical team and the medical staff. We have to be thorough, and we don’t want to reinjure anybody.
“We’re really calm as well, and we’re really supportive of all the lads because sometimes you want them back quicker as managers, but we can’t risk anything for the long term.”
Our injury record, while it feels bad saying we have six out, hasn’t been a major issue this season. We have seen in the past injuries decimate the squad, and having depth has been important. We haven’t had too many long-term, and getting bodies back now, ahead of one of the most crucial 20-game runs for 40 years, is a huge boost to the squad.