I’ve found a few minutes to listen to Mark Kennedy’s press conference fully ahead of this weekend’s fixture.
In it, he picks up on the injury situation around a handful of players and gives a little clarity on who could be back and when. He also confirmed there were no injury worries from the international break, and those players who had minor knocks going into last weekend had an opportunity to get themselves fit without possibly missing the MK Dons fixture.
So, who is out, who is back, and when can we expect people to return?
Ted Bishop
Initially, reports yesterday suggested that Bishop was out for a prolonged period, but it seems there’s a little more clarity in the full comments. “Teddy’s gonna be out for a period, really unfortunate,” said Mark, which seemed to indicate a long-term injury. That was certainly the feeling of the tweet that announced his injury, but on closer listen, it isn’t as bad as it sounded. “So, he’ll miss a few more games,” finished Mark. It doesn’t put a timescale on the injury, but it seems to be counted in terms of weeks, certainly not months.
Danny Mandroiu
Danny Mandroiu was, in my eyes, something of a marquee signing. So many talented players have come across from Ireland and made an impact here, from Gavin Whyte to Pádraig Amond, Mark Sykes to Gareth McAuley, and I think Mandroiu could be an inspired signing. We knew when he arrived, he was carrying an injury, and as yet, he hasn’t kicked a ball, but that could be about to change. “Danny Mandroiu has trained; he was back in full training on Monday,” said Mark.
Those who criticise us signing injured players would do well to remember two we signed injured, Neal Eardley and Michael O’Connor, turned out to be great captures. Besides, the club knew the situation when Danny arrived. “There wasn’t a risk bringing him in,” added Mark. “He’s just had a couple of really unfortunate setbacks.”
Joe Walsh
|When you talk about unfortunate setbacks, it’s hard not to think about Joe Walsh. The defender has spent more time in the stands than most supporters, and after returning earlier this month, he’s out for a period again. it promises to be short on, with Mark saying, “Joe’s a little bit behind on that (Mandroiu’s return). He’s not had any setbacks or anything like that, it’s just his timeframe was always behind Danny.”
I feel for Joe; he must be frustrated; it’s not like he wants to be injured. It’s so easy to say he’s made of glass and make jokes, but I’m sure nobody wants Joe Walsh fit and firing more than Joe Walsh.
Jacob Davenport
This news has upset me. I’m completely sold on this boy, I thought he was the shining light in an average performance against Doncaster and he’s got ‘starting holding midfielder’ written all over him. Sadly, he won’t be starting any time soon. “Jacob picked up an injury against Doncaster; he’ll be out for a couple of weeks, which is disappointing,” said Mark.
“I thought he showed some real quality when he played. We look forward to getting Jacob back when he’s ready,” he added, which is pretty much my exact thoughts.
Freddie Draper
Draper’s return wasn’t mentioned in the interview, but when he penned his new deal, I did enquire with a club insider and was told he was expected back on the grass shortly. Freddie will be behind Tom and ben House in terms of a starting place, but perhaps Newcastle Under 21s might be a target for a return? that’s my conjecture, and one hope I have is we get through that game and into the next round, where hopefully a fit Freddie will get some minutes.
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