Promise Omochere is expected to return to training this week as the Bristol Rovers striker edges closer to a return from a double injury setback.
The Irishman picked up an ankle problem in the first half of the 1-0 defeat at Reading in late October which subsequently saw him sidelined for three weeks before he made a return from the bench in the goalless draw at home to Crawley Town last month.
However, the forward didn’t look like his usual self with Matt Taylor confessing that, on reflection, it might have been too early for Omochere to make his return.
Frustratingly, Rovers’ record-signing then suffered a broken hand which has ruled him out of the last four matches against Mansfield Town, Blackpool, Barnsley and Leyton Orient.
In that quartet of games, the Gas have scored just one goal with Taylor’s side really struggling for creative impetus having managed a combined total of just two shots on target in those matches.
Saturday’s game against Bolton Wanderers would have certainly been another fixture that Omochere would have missed, meaning its postponement reduces the total number of matches the striker will be absent for. In the build-up to the game though, Taylor revealed the latest regarding the striker’s progress.
“Promise had a jab this week to settle down his ankle injury,” the Rovers manager explained in his pre-Bolton press conference last week. “Yeah, we’re looking forward to seeing if that lubricates the joint, if that improves it in any way.
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“I think he can train and play with the hand now in the certain cast he’s got. I expect him to be training next week. Whether he’ll be available for the following weekend, I don’t know, but we can hope and it’d be certainly a big bonus when he’s back in his best physical condition.”
Although Omochere has struggled for goals since his club-record move from Fleetwood Town in the summer, the striker has offered a notable presence up front, something that Rovers have certainly missed during his absence.
The 24-year-old scored a brace in the victory over Cambridge United in August but has failed to score again since, although he has contributed three assists.
It’s clear that the forward has exciting potential but it will just be about unlocking it on a more consistent basis.
This weekend the Gas travel to promotion favourites Birmingham City while their tough festive schedule continues for the remainder of the calendar year with a home game against Wrexham and then trips to Exeter City and Stevenage. The sooner they have the striker back, the better.