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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
John McDougall

Danny Cowley provides Portsmouth midfielder boost in team news ahead of Bolton Wanderers clash

Shaun Williams has returned to fitness for Portsmouth ahead of their trip to Bolton Wanderers tomorrow evening.

The midfielder has been out of action since the end of January in the 2-1 loss to Charlton Athletic.

Williams suffered fractured vertebrae in his spine following a freak collision with captain Clark Robertson, who had scored an own goal earlier in the game.

READ MORE: Kieran Lee injury latest ahead of Bolton Wanderers clashes vs Portsmouth & Sheffield Wednesday

The Republic of Ireland international has recently returned to training, however, and is poised to be part of the squad travelling to the University of Bolton Stadium for tomorrow evening's clash against Wanderers.

“He had two small fractures in his back, so the first part was about trying to make sure they were stable and then make sure that they healed,” Pompey boss Danny Cowley told HampshireLive .

“They’ve been able to do that and off the back of any spinal injury, we understand that the muscles around that spinal injury spasm to protect the spinal cord, so very much it is trying to make sure that we try to overcome those muscle spasms and the back is moving.

“It has been amazing how quickly the progress can be from there. Credit to him and the work he has done.”

Pompey are poised to be without winger Reeco Hackett and defender Kieran Freeman for the clash, who are long-term injury issues.

Tomorrow's game is Pompey's first game since mid-March, with Cowley's side level on points with Wanderers in the table but ahead of Ian Evatt's side on goal difference.

Portsmouth have two games in hand on Bolton and several sides above them, however, and would surely need maximum rewards over the course of the next month to have a realistic chance of being in the top six by the end of April.

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