James Vaughan is making “good progress” in his recovery from a calf injury – but won’t be ready to face Cardiff City on Saturday.
Centre-back Anthony Gerrard has also been ruled out of a return to the club he served between 2009-12 while Vaughan’s fellow striker Martin Paterson remains sidelined by a knee problem.
But busy caretaker boss Mark Lillis, who put new midfield arrival Jacob Butterfield through his paces on the training field this morning, says he’s happy with his options ahead of the trip to South Wales.
Lillis made six changes for Tuesday’s Capital Cup One Cup extra-time win at Chesterfield.
And he will take the gruelling nature of that contest into account when finalising his plans for the first of two away Championship games, with Reading the destination on Tuesday.
Fresh from checking on Cardiff’s Capital One Cup win over Coventry last night on DVD, Lillis said: “It’s a big game and we’re looking forward to it.
“We’ve done plenty of preparation in terms of checking on Cardiff, who are a strong side.
“We’ll put together a plan to beat them and pick the players we think will best put it into operation.
“I’m a big believer in putting round pegs into round holes, and we have a good selection of players to choose from.”
On last season’s 12-goal top scorer Vaughan, Lillis said: “He’s making good progress, and he’s itching to get back.
“James is going to be a big player for us this season, but we have to make sure he is right and has the kind of sharpness needed at this level.”
