Skipper Luke Chambers is back in training after his neck injury, Janoi Donacien is over his weekend illness and Freddie Sears is closing in on his first-team return but Danny Rowe is set for a few weeks on the sidelines having undergone minor knee surgery.

“He trained the last few days, so hopefully, he’ll be okay so we’ll have to wait and see,” manager Paul Lambert said at lunchtime.

The Blues boss also confirmed that right-back is over the illness which saw him miss the weekend defeat to Bristol Rovers: “He trained the last few days, so he’s recovered from his virus.”

Asked whether there are any other knocks, Lambert revealed that Rowe had cartilage surgery today: “Danny Rowe is in for a little flush out of his knee so he’ll miss a few weeks.

“He’s played a lot of football, Danny, and that’s him missing games as well. We’ve tried to look after him, but he’s out with his knee, so that’s a blow.

“He has made a good start to the season, but if I had never rotated him, it could have been worse. We’ll find out today how the results go.”

Better news is that Freddie Sears played his second game for the U23s on Monday as he continues his comeback after his the ACL injury which has kept him out since February, having previously said that if he came through it he would be ready to rejoin the first-team squad for Saturday’s trip to Portsmouth.

“If it was up to Freddie, I think he would have wanted to play against Burton,” Lambert laughed.

“He’s champing at the bit to go out and play, but we’ve also got a duty of care that we don’t rush him back too soon.

“But when the right time is to throw him in, nobody knows and it’s a guessing game.

“If the medical people say they think he’s ready to go, we know he’s going to be well short of competitive football because it’s been just under a year [he’s been out]. So there’s got to be sensible logic to it. But he’s not far.”

The system with three strikers used against Bristol Rovers would appear to suit Sears down to the ground.

“Anywhere I asked Freddie to play last year he performed,” Lambert continued. “He was in great form and then he got injured.

“You know you can play him as a 10, a nine or wide and I don’t think it’s any problem to him, I think he just adapts to anywhere you play him.”

Ben Morris has also now played two U23s games following his ACL injury, might the 20-year-old frontman come into contention for the Exeter game in the Leasing.com Trophy?

“I don’t know, I really don’t know,” the Blues manager added. “We have so many games before that, so I’ll decide that. The good thing is the Exeter game is a Saturday so thankfully it’ll get moved.”

Photo: TWTD

SouperJim added 16:50 - Dec 18 "but if I had never rotated him, it could have been worse." Is Lambert really saying it's worth mediocre results fielding a different team who look like a bunch of strangers every week in order to save Danny Rowe's knee?
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Mingochutney added 17:21 - Dec 18 Rowe hasn't played that many games so it's not over working him that he's injured. He's hardly one of our best players either so wont be overly missed
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jabberjackson added 20:25 - Dec 18 Methinks Lambo doth protest too much
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