Doncaster Rovers injury latest with Tom Nixon update provided ahead of Port Vale trip
Grant McCann has delivered positive news on the injury that forced Tom Nixon off in the midweek EFL Cup clash at Everton.
The full-back, who rejoined the club on a permanent basis from Hull City this summer after a loan spell last term, withdrew at Goodison Park after a coming-together with James Garner in the build-up to the hosts' opening goal.
He was substituted just minutes later with McCann confirming it was an ankle concern. Now, issuing an update ahead of the Saturday lunchtime league trip to Port Vale, McCann said of Nixon: "He's okay. He's hopefully got a chance for the weekend. Obviously he had to come off (at Everton) and watching it back it's probably a free-kick really. But we didn't get it. It wasn't ideal bringing him off because he was playing well at the time, Tom. He's come back really strong in the two games he's played and has been very good so we'll see."
Harry Clifton and Brandon Fleming were absent from the expanded matchday squad against the Toffees but their manager has confirmed that it was just to give others a chance.
He added that both are available for Vale Park: "It was just to freshen it up abit really. Brandon's not played a lot so it's just looking after him, Harry Clifton and people like that because we've got a lot of games coming up."
James Maxwell and Richard Wood are the only members of the first team squad currently sidelined, with both having recently undergone surgery to correct metatarsal and ankle injuries respectively.
One player finally back on the comeback trail is midfielder Ben Close, who was an unused sub on Merseyside - his first squad involvement since sustaining a knee injury last January. McCann had hoped to play him on Tuesday but says the plan is to involve him at home to Huddersfield in their EFL Trophy opener next week.
"Ben'll play against Huddersfield on Tuesday," McCann said. "He's obviously just come back but every day he's getting sharper. I would probably have got him some game time at Everton but the injury to Tom meant we had to bring Jamie (Sterry) on and I'm not one for really subbing defenders on and off. So we would have maybe got Ben some minutes had Tom stayed on."