Midfielder Jon Nolan is over the calf strain which saw him miss last week’s 4-1 win at Blackpool but Stephen Ward has not yet quite recovered from the achilles problem he suffered in the 1-1 draw away against the MK Dons a fortnight ago but shouldn’t be sidelined for too long.
"He’s okay,” manager Paul Lambert said when asked about Nolan. "He trained yesterday which is good and we’re happy to have him back, he’s playing really well and he’s back which is good news.”
Regarding Ward, he added: "Wardy's not ready, but he’s doing well, so hopefully, it’s not too far until we see him again.”
Asked how careful he will be with the 35-year-old over the coming weeks, Lambert said: "I’ll probably be guided by Stephen himself and the medical people how he’s feeling.
"But he’s doing really well. He’s been more advanced than Kane is [Vincent-Young with his achilles injury]. Wardy will know his own body, he’ll know exactly where he’s at, the medical people will know where he’s at. He’s doing really well, I’m hopeful he won’t be too long.”
Lambert reiterated his praise for Myles Kenlock’s performances at left-back in the Irishman’s absence.
"I think Myles has done well in the last three games, against the MK Dons as well,” he said. "So Myles is in there and he’ll know Wardy will be breathing down his neck when he comes back.”
Teddy Bishop was subbed in the second half at Bloomfield Road feeling his back but Lambert says that's not been an issue this week.
"He’s OK," he said. "As I said to you before, him, Andre [Dozzell] and Emyr [Huws], those three guys haven’t played a lot of football, 30 games in a row, 40 games in a row. I’d love to know when the last time the three of them have done that.
"We have to really watch over these guys, they haven’t played consecutive games. They’re playing really well, all the midfield guys are playing really well, it’s only probably Nolo that’s used to playing game after game after game.
"Emyr’s injury record, Bish’s injury record, Andre the same, but at this moment all of them are playing really well.”
Bish has started all Town's League One games last season having gone most of last season without a significant injury having recovered from a frustrating freak knee problem during last summer's pre-season trip to Germany.
"Touch wood, he’s doing really well on that side of it," Lambert added. "Bish can’t keep being in a treatment room and everybody saying he’s a good player. You’re a good player when you don’t play, you’re brilliant, everybody thinks you never made a mistake.
"He has to play and the games he’s playing and the goals he’s scoring, I think he’s in really top form at the minute and it’ll be interesting to see how he goes this season because he has to play game after game after game within reason, he has to be available for game after game.”
Lambert says he has no other new injuries at the moment, a relief with the list of absentees already lengthy.
"We are where we are at the minute,” he reflected. "Nolan’s coming back and hopefully, in the next three weeks, we’ll get other guys back and let’s see where the squad is when everybody comes back.”
Vincent-Young (achilles), Aaron Drinan (thigh), James Norwood (hamstring), Cole Skuse (knee), Flynn Downes (knee) and Tristan Nydam (ankle) all remain unavailable.