Lee Tomlin among several Doncaster Rovers players ruled out of Hartlepool United trip

Rovers had to make do without experienced trio Tommy Rowe, Jon Taylor and Lee Tomlin at Rochdale on Saturday, with all three set to miss out again tomorrow.

Joseph Olowu has also been added to the club’s list of casualties after he suffered a fractured eye socket at the weekend following a collision with teammate James Maxwell.

"It swelled up quite bad,” said Doncaster boss Gary McSheffrey, whose side will be looking for their fourth straight win in County Durham.

"We spent a good few hours in A&E Saturday evening, all through the night really, waiting for the CT Scans and the X-rays.

"He’s going to see a specialist tomorrow to see the extent of it, but he’s not in a good way.”

McSheffrey was unable to provide a timescale for centre-back Olowu’s return and said the injury could even require surgery.

The defender may need to wear a protective face mask while playing for the foreseeable future to avoid further damage to the affected area.

McSheffrey added: “We have to respect the injury and make sure it is safe to play in the future.

"We will know more in the middle of the week.”

Tomlin was given a toe injection last week which ruled him out of the trip to Rochdale.

He remains unavailable.

McSheffrey said: “It (tomorrow) just comes a bit too soon for him.

"We will update on Tomo in Thursday’s press conference.”

Both Rowe and Taylor continue to be sidelined by hamstring injuries.

Asked how the pair were progressing, McSheffrey said: “Pretty slow.

"Jon’s probably a little bit ahead of Tommy.

"Until they are back out on the grass I am not expecting them to be involved. Definitely not tomorrow but Saturday (against Leyton Orient) as well.

"I think Tommy will miss the couple. I am not sure about Jon yet, we will assess him later on in the week.”

There was better news on Tom Anderson, however, who has been out of action since August.

He took part in some light training with his teammates on Monday and could be ready for full-contact sessions by the end of this week.