'Fantastic position' - Chesterfield injury news ahead of Grimsby Town clash
Chesterfield will be in a ‘fantastic position’ with regards to injuries in a couple of weeks, says manager Paul Cook.
The Spireites suffered a number of injuries in pre-season but players are slowly returning to training.
Liam Mandeville (ankle) played 35 minutes against Lincoln City in midweek and is in the squad for Saturday’s visit of Grimsby Town, while Fulham loan duo Harvey Araujo and Devan Tanton are set to be involved. Ryan Colclough (calf) and Paddy Madden (calf) are edging closer as well. Ash Palmer (knee) and Ryheem Sheckleford (hamstring) are likely to be out until November, while Branden Horton (hamstring) is on the mend. They will be without Chey Dunkley this weekend as the defender serves a one-match ban for his sending off at Gillingham.
“I think we have been a little bit stretched with our team and our substitutions,” Cook said. “As a manager, I like to make substitutions at the top end of the pitch, which is normally my front four players. Unfortunately, as the season started we have not had like-for-like replacements in some of those areas but we are getting Mandeville back fit now, Ryan Colclough and Paddy Madden are a week to 10 days away. Branden Horton is getting a little bit better. I do think in two or three weeks time we will be in a fantastic position.”
Town had a good record with injuries last season, having a full squad for most of the campaign, and they haven’t done anything different this time, apart from probably having a bit of bad luck.
Cook explained: “I have always trained the same way. Throughout my management career I have been very consistent. Mandeville’s one was done on a Sunday morning as a contact injury in training - there is nothing you can do about contact injuries. I think the soft tissue issue injuries will always be a worry for managers because you are looking at what you are doing etc. But a lot of ours have been impact ones. It has been disappointing because obviously we haven’t got momentum in team selection yet.”
Next opponents Grimsby Town are one place and one point above Chesterfield and visit Derbyshire on the back of a 2-1 win against Bradford City.
"They are a really good side,” Cook added. “They are really well coached. I have really enjoyed preparing for them. They are bright, have got good players, got a really nice system style, they are effective, I am really looking forward to the game. I think both teams will have periods where they do really well in. It will be a tough challenge. Their performance against Bradford was absolutely excellent.”