Joey Barton can see "light at the end of the tunnel" as Bristol Rovers' injury woes start to ease, although no players are due back to full fitness in time for Saturday's game against Accrington Stanley.
Rovers will benefit from the return of Bobby Thomas and Jordan Rossiter from suspension, but Josh Grant, Lewis Gibson, James Gibbons, James Connolly and Josh Coburn remain on the injury list.
Defenders Grant and Gibson are the closest to making a return from their respective knee and calf injuries, with full-back Gibbons not far behind as he recovers from a foot stress fracture. Centre-back Connolly is likely to be out for a little longer than the rest after sustaining a stress fracture in his back.
