Bristol Rovers are set to still be without Kamil Conteh when they host Barnsley on Saturday but don’t appear to have any fresh issues with Jack Hunt potentially in line for his first appearance in over two months.
Conteh is yet to feature under Inigo Calderon having last played in the 3-1 defeat at Exeter City on Boxing Day. The midfielder picked up a knee injury that was initially thought to be a knock but has subsequently kept him out for three weeks with still some uncertainty towards how much longer the 22-year-old will be out for.
The signing of experienced midfielder Romaine Sawyers has plugged the gap for now with Grant Ward picking up more starts since the change in management while the likes of Jamie Lindsay, Isaac Hutchinson and Luke McCormick are also available.
On the injury latest going into Barnsley, Calderon declared: “I would say similar than the last week. [We’re] still missing Kamil and Promise. Missing them a lot but that’s the way it is and, as I say, sometimes when you are in a bad moment, things happen. But I think the rest are all fit.
“There are a few ones that did some knocks but hopefully they’re going to be fit for Saturday.
“I would like to say yes,” the Rovers head coach added when asked if the club are closing to knowing how much longer Conteh will be out injured for. “I mean, we are doing everything possible and they are trying to find, because a lot of things you can test. Some ones are easy to fix or at least to know what’s the problem.
“This one has been a bit more tricky but the club is doing everything possible. The doctors are doing a great job. Every day they’re trying to do everything possible to, even Kamil is trying to do everything possible. So listen, the only thing we can do is try to do everything.”
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Some better news though is that Hunt could be in line for his first appearance in over two months if he makes the squad for this weekend.
The right-back has been back in training for over a week after suffering a calf tear but wasn’t included in the squad that travelled to Ipswich Town last weekend for the FA Cup defeat.
Taylor Moore has regularly been deployed at right-back in Calderon’s brief time at the club to date with Joel Senior on the bench but the Rovers head coach has confessed that he would like to use the experienced defender now that he’s fit and available.
“He was training with us and he has been training with us but it’s true that, from the start, maybe it’s too soon and that’s what the medical department [said],” Calderon explained. “They sometimes evaluate that and they said maybe it’s too soon to start.
“So after, when you are not starting, you have to try to do the numbers for the bench because, at the end of the day, for example we have Joel as well in that situation so there’s no point to bring two.
“So now he is training better so I will say that we will use him because he is a good player.”