Bristol Rovers have been largely dealt positive team news ahead of their trip to Burton Albion this weekend with no fresh injury concerns on the back of Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over Charlton Athletic while Taylor Moore will be back available after serving a three-game suspension.
The defender was shown a straight red card for an off-ball incident in the 4-0 defeat at home to Wigan Athletic last month and subsequently missed the losses against Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers as well as the Charlton victory.
Meanwhile, Matt Taylor has provided an update on long-term injured duo Chris Martin and Joel Senior with neither close to a return to action.
“Joel and Chris are a way away still,” the Rovers manager explained. “I think between the four and six week mark. Great that they’re getting close in terms of physical movement and trainers into boots and touching the grass but in terms of the work that they’ve got to do in the next couple weeks, it’s extensive. And then you always need that two week training period to get them up to speed.
“We’ve missed Chrissy’s goals, of course we have, but we’ve also missed his personality, especially for this group. So looking forward to those coming back in and affecting it in a positive manner maybe in a month’s time, I don’t know.”
Martin was the Gas’ top scorer last term with 16 goals in League One, a tally that saw the 35-year-old rank fifth in the golden boot race. However, as Taylor mentioned, the striker is a senior figure within a largely young squad who have evidently needed some older heads to use their experience and expertise within a recent four-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, Senior was one of 16 new recruits in the summer but picked up a serious hamstring tear in the 2-0 defeat to Stockport County in August, the same game in which Martin suffered a broken fibula.
However, the pair are the only major absentees with Grant Ward and Lino Sousa available after being rested on Tuesday night while Moore also comes back into contention.
“Nothing major or of note,” Taylor declared when asked about any new injury concerns. “Some tight bodies. It was a physical game and certainly the first time we’ve gone Saturday, Tuesday in the league campaign and some players backing up Saturday’s minutes who maybe haven’t featured as often. So you have to be wary of Scott Sinclair, Connor Taylor, Jamie Lindsay.
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“A few of them we’re mindful of going into this weekend’s game but the general feeling I got coming in today was that they want to back up the performance and the result and you can only really do that as a player by putting yourself out there again.
“They’re fit and available,” the Gas manager added on Ward and Sousa. “Look, Lino, great in terms of his impact in the last couple of games. Physically, it’s always taken out of players when they play, play, play having not played previously too much but he’s fit and available. And that wasn’t a performance-related decision on Tuesday, because I think he’s played well. I think in the last few weeks he’s actually been one of our better performers.
“Grant is always one where, because he’s so dynamic, the three-game week is always a bit of a worry and I probably could have had him on the bench on Tuesday but you might put someone on for a period of time and then there’s that risk factor.
“They’re available but not just with those two, with where the group were on Tuesday, you want to build consistency now and as a manager you want to say you played well, your reward is that you maintain your position in the team and I don’t change too much.”