Doncaster Rovers fitness update ahead of FA Cup tie with Scunthorpe United

Rodrigo VilcaRodrigo Vilca
Rodrigo Vilca
Rodrigo Vilca is expected to be fit to start for Doncaster Rovers this weekend if called upon for the FA Cup clash with Scunthorpe United.

The Peruvian winger was named on the bench in Tuesday’s trip to Crewe Alexandra but was not used due to fatigue.

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Vilca has recovered and will be part of the squad for the FA Cup first round tie, along with John Bostock who also dropped out of the side on Tuesday.

“Rodrigo is a young boy starting out and Saturday-Tuesday is a massive strain on his body,” boss Richie Wellens said.

“He came in on Monday and he just couldn’t train because his legs were that sore.

“It’s about his legs going from boy’s legs to man’s legs.

“That will only come with games.

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“He’ll be okay for the weekend. He just came to us and said he wouldn’t be able to play on Tuesday and he’s physically not ready to train. In that situation it’s difficult to pick him.”

Wellens said Bostock was rested from the start against Crewe after struggling physically against Charlton Athletic last weekend.

“We were worried about Bozzy because he played against Charlton and his stats were well down,” Wellens said.

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“His sprint distances were non-existent if I’m being honest.

“We needed to look after him because we knew we needed to match Crewe’s workrate.

“Bozzy will be freshened up for the weekend and you can expect him to come back in.

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Jordy Hiwula was withdrawn in the second half on Tuesday with a hamstring complaint but is expected to be okay for the weekend.

“It was just a tight hamstring rather than a pull so we’re not expecting that to be a problem,” Wellens said.

Wellens confirmed that all his loan signings have permission to feature in the FA Cup.

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