The Spireites have had poor luck with injuries this season with a large majority of the squad affected. However, there is a positive update on some of those who are currently out.
Manny Oyeleke returned to the squad against Grimsby Town but suffered a flare up and missed the Wealdstone game.
Manager Paul Cook provided an update on the midfielder, saying: “He hasn’t missed a day’s training now for coming up to two weeks, which is great for Manny. It’s great for us, it’s great for his fitness levels.
“I think everybody knows what a good player he is. He’s had a really interrupted season with breakdowns and a reoccurring calf problem.
“We don’t want to keep putting him in for him to come out. So, if we can mange him back to what would be near full fitness, reality is he would be a strong addition.”
Kabongo Tshimanga has been out since February after suffering a fractured leg and dislocated ankle, however he is now out of his protective boot and ready to start running again.
“He’s absolutely brilliant,” Cook said. “He’s a pleasure around the club. He’s out of his boot and he’s walking. Hopefully in the next week or two, he’s going to start his rehab in terms of running on the grass.
“I think that something that the most optimistic of Chesterfield fan could hope for is that he could be back to help us this season at some point if we stay successful. So, it’s something we can all cling onto with great hope.”
Gavin Gunning and Tom Denton both returned to the starting line-up against Weladstone after long lay-offs.
Cook believes that having two more experienced heads in the matchday squad will help the team going forward.
“They’re both men. If you looked at our performance against Grimsby, we lacked men on the pitch. The reality is being able to pick men helps you pick teams,” Cook stated.
“It’s been a challenging couple of months for the lads in general because of the amount of injuries. That’s clearing now. That’s a real positive for our supporters.
“Going forward we’ve got lads returning to help the fight and it’s important that I as the manager and the rest of the coaching staff just manage them the correct way.”
Three faces that have been out of the team for a while are Danny Rowe, Nathan Tyson and Luke Croll and Cook gave an update on how the trio are faring.
He said: “Danny Rowe has obviously returned to training now. He’s stepped up his training this week. I think he is going into his second day this week today (Thursday). Danny is progressing really well, and we’re all delighted with that.
“Tyson has been training now for coming up for well over a week – coming into his second week. And Crolly would still be a little bit far away.
“I think that’s where we are at. The numbers in training have been very good laterally, which is great. Now we do have options. For us now the challenge is to get as many points as we can. We just want to do our best to finish as high as we can.”
