Positive news on injured pair for Doncaster Rovers ahead of FA Cup clash

Boss Darren Moore declared both in contention to be a part of the squad with one training session remaining before the trip to Cumbria.

But there is no such positive news on Jon Taylor who remains on the sidelines.

Moore says he will not risk either Gomes or John-Jules and would only include them on Sunday if he was 100 per cent confident of their fitness.

“Both players are part of the squad for training on Saturday and we’ll have a look at them for this weekend,” Moore said.

“They have a chance. While we’ve been increasing the volume of training into them, you look for reactions the next day and they’re doing well.

“Those two have potentially got a good chance.”

John-Jules has been out of action since the October international break when he suffered an injury while on duty with England U20s.

Since then Fejiri Okenabirhie has been Rovers’ only option for the attacking role and Moore says it will be a boost to take the weight off the striker’s shoulders.

“Any players we’ve got out injured now, to get them back will be a wonderful relief to get those extra bodies in there to cope with the fixture list.

“The more bodies I can get back the better.

“Fejiri has done really, really well. He’s shown great fitness levels, great appetite, you can see he’s robust with the demands of the game.

“But to have that extra option back, it will be a real boost.

“With Tyreece, he’s another one that when we get him back, we want him to stay back and that’s why his progress and building up has been monitored closely.”

Moore declined to state a timeframe for Taylor’s return and says he will be assessed on a day-by-day basis.

“We won’t risk Jon for this weekend but he’s making some wonderful progress,” he said.

“Because he’s a very energetic player it’s a matter of looking at him every day and assessing where he is.

“Is there any reaction after training and how is he?

“We’ll refrain from bringing him back too soon because when he comes back we want him to stay back.

“We’ve got a demanding fixture list and I need as many bodies as I can to handle that.

“It’s about biting my bottom lip and resisting any temptation to try to bring him back too soon.

“He’s had some great feedback from the medical team but for this weekend it’s a no and we’ll look at him again maybe for Wednesday.”

Moore says Rayhaan Tulloch is making positive progress on his recovery with parent club West Bromwich Albion.

“Rayhaan had a couple of setbacks with working himself too hard,” he said.

“He’s a young boy that wants to get back and play and is still getting used to his body.

“In his rehab he’s had a couple of incidents where he’s pushed too hard too soon.

“He’s so highly energised as a player with fast twitch fibres, we’ve got to hold the reins on him.

“He’s on that slow build progress back now.

“If we can get those attacking players back, it will help us.”

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