Inigo Calderon has revealed that Gatlin O’Donkor is back in training for Bristol Rovers after missing the last six matches with a hamstring injury, although it would seem that the striker isn’t quite ready to return this weekend when the Gas host Huddersfield Town.
The Oxford United loanee came in for a string of appearances following Promise Omochere’s own hamstring issue picked up on New Year’s Day, scoring the second goal of his loan spell in BS7 in the 3-1 win over Barnsley in January.
However, with Omochere sidelined, the 20-year-old’s injury picked up in the 3-1 victory against Peterborough United a month ago left the Gas with extremely limited options up front, a predicament that Rovers are now seemingly close to solving.
“It’s quite positive, to be fair,” Calderon told Bristol Live. “He’s in training with the group now but it’s not just training. That question will be more for the medical staff but they have to reach certain numbers of high speed running like sprints because then we want to make sure that he’s fully fit and doesn’t have anything else happen to him.
“So yeah, I’m quite happy with him because, as I say, I think he’s progressing well. I think he still has a week or a couple of days with the group so hopefully it’s not too far.”
Meanwhile, Omochere has recently made his own return to action, coming on for the best part of half an hour last Saturday in the 3-2 defeat to Rotherham United before playing the full second half in Tuesday night’s goalless draw at Shrewsbury Town.
The Irishman has looked sharp in his two appearances from the bench and could have had a goal against Salop, seeing a header cleared off the line.
Although Calderon adjusted the starting formation to incorporate a back-three and a strike partnership, Omochere wasn’t quite ready to start alongside Chris Martin against Shrewsbury with Ruel Sotiriou taking that role. However, evidence would suggest that the 24-year-old could be closing in on his first start since sustaining that hamstring problem against Leyton Orient two months ago ahead of facing Huddersfield on Saturday.
Asked how close Rovers’ club-record signing is to starting a game, Calderon declared: “Well he’s getting closer and closer. I’ve been saying the medical staff and him especially did a great job to come [back] earlier because at the beginning we were expecting 10 weeks and it was January 1 so it’s been quicker and that’s credit to him, credit to the medical department to make him fitter.
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“Now, it’s about giving another solution or problem to pick the team but that’s probably the one you want to have.”
The Irishman’s return has also meant that deadline day arrival Michael Reindorf hasn’t been included in the last two matchday squads, raising the eyebrows of some supporters.
Having made three appearances from the bench since joining on loan for the remainder of the season from Cardiff City, the 19-year-old is now finding it even tougher to get game time in blue-and-white quarters, something that may continue with O’Donkor’s pending return to fitness.
“Listen, all the players that are in training with us, and a lot trained today, they will have a chance,” the Gas head coach added on Reindorf’s exclusion from the last two squads. “As I say, it’s not easy when you are not in the squad but as I proved yesterday with Clinton or with a few players before, sometimes you are not in the squad and next game you are in the starting 11.
“I try to say that all the time to the players that they have to be ready and that not being in the squad is not necessarily because you are too far from the rest. It’s more about having balance on the bench, having options on the bench. So they have to keep fighting until the end. That’s the only thing they can do.”