The Imps will be without key man Ethan Erhahon for ‘a number of weeks’ after the midfielder was withdrawn from the game against Wigan Athletic.
Erhahon, arguably the club’s best player, came off at half time of the Wigan fixture, a substitution that coincided with us slipping out of the game. He’s perhaps the only player we didn’t have a direct replacement for prior to the transfer window, which would make this a huge blow.
As Tom Shaw explained in the pre-match press conference, Ethan has picked up a quad injury and will miss ‘a number of weeks’ as we enter the busy early spring period.
“Ethan picked up a quad in the last game, so he will be out for a number of weeks, which is really disappointing because he started to find a proper rhythm to his game,” said Tom.
“I thought he was outstanding in the last couple of fixtures, so really disappointing news for Ethan and for us, but opportunity for someone else to step in and make that position their own.”
While that is bad news, we do have Sam Clucas in contention for the game, which could be an option, while Conor McGrandles could also play there if required.
There is some good news, although we won’t see the impact tomorrow. The summer signing from Burton, Tom Hamer, is back on the training pitch after his spell on the sideline, and he’ll be eased back into full training over the coming weeks.
“Tom Hamer is back on the training pitch, which is great to see,” said the other Tom, Shaw.
“He’s a big presence in the group. He’s a winner. So having him back around the group, we’ll be gentle with him, bending him back into the full training programme. But just good to see him out there, and he will make a big difference to our squad when fully fit.”
Tom Hamer’s return to the squad is huge. He was settling in nicely on the right side of defence and perhaps offered something more akin to Sean Roughan on the left than Lewis Montsma or Adam Jackson do. Also, with Tom here next season, he’s one defender that we need to ease into the team, as he’s likely to be a regular next season.
What team will take to the field tomorrow is uncertain. It could be Sam Clucas making his second Imps debut, but perhaps more likely Conor McGrandles in the holding role, with Ethan Hamilton and Tom Bayliss ahead of him. Tom Hamer certainly won’t be involved just yet.
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