Bristol Rovers are expected to be without Promise Omochere for the remainder of the season after the striker picked up a fresh hamstring injury in the 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town, just one week on from making his return from a two month period out.
The striker arrived at the Mem from Fleetwood Town last summer as the club’s record signing but his first campaign in blue-and-white quarters has been overshadowed by injuries.
An ankle issue picked up in October was then followed by a broken hand before two hamstring injuries, both of which coming at particularly frustrating moments when the 24-year-old looked as though he was approaching his best in a Rovers shirt.
Assuming that the Irishman won’t make a miraculous return before the end of the season, his first term with the Gas will finish with four goals and three assists in 24 appearances across all competitions.
“It doesn’t look like [it],” Inigo Calderon revealed when asked if Omochere would play for Rovers again this season. “It looks quite bad and a hamstring injury is always between six, eight, ten weeks. This one might be even more.
“I don’t want to put pressure on Promise. He’s struggling because he’s a great guy. A great kid and hopefully he’s not going to be [out] too long, but I don’t think we will see him again this season.
“I think he did great work and a great effort to come back stronger and fitter and even earlier. Him and the medical department were doing great. I mean, the amount of hours he was doing, that’s why I feel even worse for him because I think he did everything possible. But sometimes you have to deal with that. He has to be strong now. He will have our support.”
While Omochere is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines, Kamil Conteh’s time out is approaching the three month mark with the midfielder still yet to feature under Calderon.
What seemed to be a knee knock ruled the 22-year-old out of Rovers’ trip to Stevenage, the Spaniard’s first game, on December 29. However, back in February the club explained in a statement: “After developing an unusual swelling in his foot, the 22-year-old underwent several tests and was diagnosed with a bone infection. It is not known how Kamil picked up the infection.”
Frustratingly for Rovers, the latest update is that there is still no timescale on when Conteh might return to action with the Gas already limited on numbers in midfield.
“I don’t know,” Calderon confessed when asked about the midfielder’s return ahead of this weekend’s trip to Lincoln City. “We don’t want to put any dates [on it] because with these ones it is not clear. It is not a common one. So he’s preferred to wait.
“I think he’s progressing. For me, the most important thing is I spoke with him last week and I can see him laughing again now because he’s a nice guy and last week he was not that happy anymore so I was about concerned about that.
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“But today he’s been laughing and that with the team. He’s a great lad and quite loud in the dressing room so we need him.”
Elsewhere, it seems as though Watford loanee goalkeeper Myles Roberts remains sidelined through injury but there is more positive news regarding Gatlin O’Donkor and Romaine Sawyers, who are both close to make their respective returns to action.
O’Donkor pulled up with what seemed to be a hamstring injury in the 3-1 win over Peterborough United last month while Sawyers has been missing since that victory over Posh having come on late that afternoon before picking up an issue in training.
Although this weekend’s trip to Lincoln is expected to come slightly too early for the pair, their imminent returns are boosts for Rovers who have limited available options in both attack and midfield.
On injuries ahead of Lincoln, Calderon added: “I think the same [players available]. I will say, Gats and Romaine are getting closer. I don’t know for this weekend but they are getting closer.
“They’re having some training sessions with the group so I would say they are the two closest to come back to the team.”