Michael Skubala has been giving an injury update to Lincoln City fans ahead of this weekend’s clash with Rotherham.
The Imps head into the clash with the Millers knowing it will be the final action before 11 agonising days off. The promotion hunt can’t be decided this weekend, meaning we’ll go into Easter Weekend with no absolute picture of whether we’re going up or not.
The break will give some players a chance to regain fitness, with the first major question mark over left back Adam Reach. He went down without a player near him against Huddersfield, and the club don’t have a clear picture of that situation yet.
“We’ve got a few bumps and bruises,” said Michael in his pre-match press conference. “Reachy, we’re not sure of the extent yet. He’s struggling and hasn’t trained today, so we need a full assessment. I don’t know what that’s going to be at the moment.
“The concern is that Adam could miss the rest of the season, that’s for sure. Those are always the worrying ones, when there’s nobody around them and they just go over, they often turn out worse.
“We’ll have more of an update once we’ve had the scan and all the information, but at the minute he’s out of action.
There are others who we will have to wait to see. Adam Jackson has been out for a spell, and while we have good cover at the back, it would be nice for him to play a part in the run-in. Striker Freddie Draper went off during the 4-0 win against Northampton, and information on the length of his absence is also unclear.
“Jacko is still a few weeks away,” added Michael. “Freddie will be a few weeks as well, we’re not certain yet. The hope is we might see him before the end of the season, but that’s not guaranteed.
It’s not all bad news. Today’s Irish squad didn’t see Jack Moylan called up, nor Josh Honohan, who we haven’t seen since his move from Shamrock Rovers. Josh is still ‘working his way back’, but three other fringe players are ready to be called into the squad.
“Josh Honohan is working his way back into the group but isn’t ready yet. Oscar Thorne is ready to go and has been training for a while. Erik Ring is ready, and Kamil is ready too.
“We’ve got players coming in who have been waiting in the wings, so there’s good depth. Some of those lads are raring to go.
“Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, we’ll need them. We’ll need the whole group, the whole squad, to contribute.
“That’s the nature of this stage of the season.
If Adam Reach is out, it does seem to open the door for Erik Ring to at least come onto the bench. The Swede had a standout November, sadly, a month where the rest of the team struggled, but since then, he’s been kept out of the side. With no Honohan and possibly no Reach, Ryley Towler will start at left back, with Erik sure to step up onto the bench.
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