Striker Gassan Ahadme has joined a lengthening Town injury list having suffered a small fracture to his foot during last week’s 2-1 defeat at Plymouth Argyle.
The 21-year-old, who joined Town from Burton on deadline day at the start of the month having been on loan at tomorrow's opponents Portsmouth in the first half of last season, came on in the 81st minute at Home Park and suffered the knock during that short spell on the field.
"Unfortunately Gassan Ahadme picked up a small fracture in his foot around the Plymouth game, so he’s currently in a boot and on crutches,” manager Kieran McKenna said.
"Thankfully it’s a very, very small fracture but he’s going to need some time off-loading the foot and is going to be out for a while.
"Obviously very disappointing for him as he was just settling into the team. Disappointing for the squad because he was an addition for us and was going to be an important player and I’m sure will have a part to play again.
"And it adds to a few others that we have at the moment, all in a very similar pattern of innocuous bone injuries which are hard to predict and hard to avoid.
"But you’re going to get them over the course of the season, we’ve had a little run of them now, we still have got good numbers, we still have good options and we still have a very strong squad to be ready for the game.
"That’s the only update, obviously the longer-term boys are still unavailable, everyone else is fine.”
McKenna added: "It was in and around the game, I don’t think they’re certain what the particular incident was because it’s a very small fracture but it was something he was feeling after the game and scans have revealed that.
"It is what it is. It’s a long season, we’re going to have them at some point. We’ve got a little run now, hopefully not too many more but we still feel we’re in a strong place.”
Regarding midfielder Panutche Camara, who signed the same day as Ahadme and is yet to feature having joined the club with a groin problem, the Blues boss says the former Plymouth man isn’t too far from being involved.
"Nothing exact but not too far,” McKenna said.” He’s back on the grass now and is starting to work outside with the fitness coaches so it will be a short matter of weeks and no more than that.”
Sone Aluko (knee), Cameron Burgess (facial surgery) and Greg Leigh (compression fracture to his leg) also remain sidelined.