Liam Manning has confirmed he is expecting Rob Dickie to return to group training on Monday after he missed Bristol City’s defeat to Wolves.
The centre-back was not included in the Robins’ matchday squad to face the Premier League side on Saturday afternoon. Without their vice-captain, the Reds were beaten 2-1 by Vitor Pereira’s side and exited the FA Cup at the third round stage for the first time in three years.
Rayan Ait-Nouri gave the away side the lead early in the first half as he turned home Joao Gomes’ cross and Wolves quickly doubled their lead when Rodrigo Gomes chipped past Max O’Leary. Scott Twine threatened to start a comeback when he curled home an excellent free-kick on the stroke of half-time, but City were unable to find the all-important leveller to take the game to extra time.
Although Manning admitted Dickie had been left bed-bound by illness for three days following the Robins’ win over Derby County last weekend, he confirmed he is getting closer to returning to action.
“He was in yesterday for his first day,” the Reds head coach revealed in his post-match press conference at Ashton Gate. “He was in bed for three days after the game [against Derby].
“It hit him quite hard but he’s definitely improving and feeling better. He was in yesterday and he was in this morning doing some stuff out on the grass so expecting him back in with the group on Monday.”
While neither of them were introduced from the bench against Wolves, City were boosted by the return of both Mark Sykes and Kal Naismith to the matchday squad for the first time since November. Both players picked up injuries in the Reds’ defeat to Sheffield United which have ruled them out for around two months.
They have given Manning some extra depth both in defence and on the right wing, however, the Bristol City head coach may now be short of options in the middle of the park after Marcus McGuane was forced off in the second half of Saturday’s game.
The midfielder went down after a clash of heads inside the Wolves’ half but managed to continue for some time before being replaced by George Earthy. Manning had been unable to gauge the severity of the issue when he conducted his post-match media duties but confirmed it was a head injury that forced the former Oxford United man.
“He took a bang to his head so we’ll have a look,” explained the 39-year-old. “I’ve just come out and done this straight away so we’ll have to assess. He took a whack to the head so we’ll have to see.”
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McGuane and the rest of the Robins squad will have a full week to recover before their next game. City return to action next Saturday against Frank Lampard’s Coventry City at the CBS Arena.
Though Manning knows his side will be frustrated to have fallen at the first hurdle in this season’s FA Cup, he’s keen to use the defeat to Wolves to try and inspire his players ahead of their clash with the Sky Blues next weekend.
“Every game we try to take as much from it as we can,” said Manning. “Today’s another really good one for us. I’ve just spoken in there, we have to take that back into the league.
“We’ve got a tough week coming up so we have to make sure we take all the lessons and try to use it to become better. We’re all aspiring to improve, that’s the culture we want, that’s what the club’s built on. We’ll be disappointed and rightly so today, but back on Monday to try and inspire us to get better.”