LIAM Roberts could face Cheltenham on Saturday while Donovan Pines, Robbie Cundy, Josh Benson and Fabio Jalo are close to returning to first team action in the coming weeks.
Goalkeeper Roberts missed Tuesday’s game at Carlisle with an injury. Head coach Neill Collins said: “He’s progressing and he will be in contention for the weekend.”
American defender Pines has missed both games this week and is not expected to play on Saturday.
Asked if Pines could be back for the Easter matches at the end of the month, Collins said: “There has been progress. We will keep assessing that. But it’s definitely a possibility.”
Benson has played 65 minutes in the last two under 21s games while Cundy played 45 then 60.
Midfielder Benson has not played for the first team since November but has been on the bench twice while Cundy’s last first team game was in April last year.
On Cundy, Collins said: “In other circumstances he would be close to playing. But the fact he’s been out for almost a year, we have to be mindful. Having him available for the last month, when you see the schedule, will be really important.
“Another game next week would be perfect for everyone.
“When he’s back it will be like having a new player.”
On Benson, Collins said: “Josh has been an option. I haven’t used him partly because he isn’t 100 per cent ready. He will be involved again on Saturday, I would expect. It just depends if the game determines that we need him. He’s getting closer and we would like him to get more minutes to be even more ready.”
Portugal under 19s forward Fabio Jalo has been out for almost two months with a knee problem.
“He’s doing great. He’s been back training. I think he’s been called up so we have to see how that affects us.
“He was scheduled to be playing in a game in the near future but it looks like it will be for Portugal and not for us. He won’t play this weekend because he’s not played for a couple of months but he could possibly play for the under 18s or 21s prior to leaving us.”
