Tranmere Rovers are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel in terms of their injuries with a number of key players ready to return to the fold.
It’s Emirates FA Cup action for Micky Mellon’s side this weekend as they take a break from league action to face high-flying Wycombe at Prenton Park in the First Round of the famous old competition.
The two sides will meet again the following weekend in the league, so it will be important to try and gain the upper hand on the opposition by winning this cup tie ahead of that encounter in League One.
An excellent 3-1 win on the road at MK Dons last weekend was vitally important for Tranmere, putting a 5-0 drubbing at Sunderland behind them and beating a team in and around them towards the bottom of League One.
A hat-trick from Aston Villa loanee Rushian Hepburn-Murphy will undoubtedly have boosted the youngster’s confidence, and the Rovers manager now has a selection dilemma in the forward areas.
Stefan Payne, who missed last week’s game at Stadium MK, returns after serving a one-match suspension, while there is welcome news on the injury front with Morgan Ferrier having had a week’s training under his belt after three months out with a knee injury. The former Walsall striker is available for selection once more and that’s a big boost.
Let’s take a closer look at how’s missing or struggling to make Saturday’s fixture against Wycombe…
CALUM WOODS
The experienced full-back, who has looked decent in the little we’ve seen of him in a Tranmere shirt, has returned to training after picking up an injury against Oxford United in early September. He was due to return to the squad in full training, and we have not heard otherwise. He will be close to a return to the reckoning, although with Kane Wilson and Jake Caprice available, he may need to bide his time.
MARK ELLIS
Ellis sustained a knee injury towards the back end of last season and remains absent. It’s likely to be some time yet until we next see the experienced defender in a Rovers shirt on the pitch. A return date of February is the target for the former Shrewsbury Town man.
EVAN GUMBS
Another who picked up a serious knee injury at the end of last term, the young defender is unlikely to be available for selection until the new year at the earliest. Again, February may be the time when the youngster might become available and back to full fitness.
OLLIE BANKS
The former Oldham Athletic midfielder went under the knife recently for a knee injury picked up in training which will rule him out until the New Year.
HARVEY GILMOUR
Gilmour took his opportunity in the side after injuries to others, before picking up a knee injury one of his own. He’s out of a knee brace but is still looking at missing the next three or four weeks of fixtures.
DARREN POTTER
The experienced midfield player had bruised ribs picked up from a robust challenge against Coventry City. After missing a couple of games, he returned to the fold and was an unused substitute last weekend against MK Dons, and it seems he’s made a full recovery so, hopefully, this is the last time he’ll feature in this list.
ISHMAEL MILLER
The big striker was enjoying a decent pre-season before pulling up with a hamstring injury in Rovers’ final pre-season friendly against Walsall. There has been very little said about his situation, so it’s unknown whether he will return to action before his six-month contract expires in January.
MORGAN FERRIER
Good news about Morgan Ferrier. After a lengthy layoff with a knee injury, Micky Mellon spoke in his pre-match press conference about the striker having had a good week’s training with the squad under his belt. That means he will be ready to return to the squad, which is a major boost.
