LEE CLARK hopes Robbie Simpson will be back in training by the end of this week – but still can’t put a timescale on fellow Town striker Lee Novak’s return.
A thigh problem, the latest in a string of injuries, means Simpson hasn’t featured in the squad since Southampton on March 2.
But boss Clark reckons the 25-year-old former Coventry City striker can still make a key contribution this season.
“Robbie’s season has been frustrating for all concerned, but there’s still time for him to make the impact I know he’s capable of,” said Clark. “We’ve seen glimpses of his talent, but he’s not had a long enough spell of full fitness.
“He’s progressed well over the last week, and he should be back in training with the group within the next few days.”
While Simpson has been restricted to five starts and 11 appearances from the bench, scoring once, Novak reached 11 goals before being sidelined by a knee injury.
“He’s doing one-to-one work with our physio Dave Buckby and coming on well, but Lee’s not yet been able to do any running,” explained Clark.
“When he gets to that stage we’ll have a better idea of when he might be available again, and hopefully, that won’t be too far off.”
Clark is pleased to have on-loan Liverpool frontman Nathan Eccleston available after a three-match ban for Saturday’s crunch trip to Wycombe Wanderers.
And he could hand the 19-year-old a sharpener in today’s totesport.com League reserve clash against Hartlepool at Billingham (2.00).
