Lincoln City are waiting to discover the extent of the injury Tendayi Darikwa suffered during Saturday’s 3-1 defeat against Portsmouth.
The City captain went down after an apparently innocuous incident early in the second half and initially attempted to continue. He was eventually withdrawn in the 55th minute, with summer signing Andrei Coubiș coming on to make his home debut.
Darikwa’s departure came with the Imps attempting to build some pressure after going into the interval 2-1 behind. Tom Shaw admitted it had been a difficult moment in the contest, but said it remained too soon to offer a firm diagnosis.
“It is too early to tell,” he told Imps+. “It was obviously a difficult moment to lose him at that point in the game, just as we started to gather a bit of momentum in the second half.
“It is too early to know what that will be. We’ve got our fingers crossed and we’ll update you as he has his scans and bits and bobs this week.”
Darikwa will undergo further assessment during the week, meaning his availability beyond Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup tie at Blackpool is not yet known. It’s likely that Josh Honohan, omitted from the squad on Saturday, will make his first start in Darikwa’s right-back position.
The former Forest defender has been an important part of the side since joining City and has retained the captaincy following promotion to the Championship. His absence against Portsmouth handed Coubiș his longest appearance for the Imps so far, having previously been introduced from the bench during the opening weeks of the season.
News on Sonny Bradley
There was more encouraging news regarding Sonny Bradley, who has been unavailable during the opening stages of the campaign. The experienced centre-back is progressing well and is expected to begin the next stage of his recovery this week.
“Sonny is recovering really well. I think he’s back on the grass this week for the first part of his grass-based rehab with the lads,” added Tom.
“Apart from that, everything is in a good place.”
Bradley’s return to grass-based work does not necessarily mean an immediate return to full training, but it represents another positive step in his rehabilitation. Shaw previously indicated that the defender’s absence would be measured in weeks rather than months, and his latest update suggests the recovery remains on course.
City have already welcomed Tom Bayliss back into the squad following his own injury problems. The midfielder came off the bench against Portsmouth, although he was unable to prevent the Imps slipping to their second successive Championship defeat. Tom’s final comment also suggests Honohan was merely out of the squad due to numbers, not injury, this weekend.
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