Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper hopes Jack Colback and Ryan Yates will be available for Saturday’s play-off semi-final first leg against Sheffield United.
The duo were left out of the matchday squad for the Reds’ final match of the regular season, against Hull City. Colback had been struggling with a groin problem, while his teammate took a knock to the shoulder in the defeat at Bournemouth. Cooper says they will be given “every chance” to feature at Bramall Lane.
Defender Scott McKenna had been an unused substitute last weekend due to illness but is fine to face the Blades. Djed Spence, Brennan Johnson and Sam Surridge all came off the bench in that clash, with Forest not wanting to take any risks ahead of the crucial double-header.
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Centre-back Steve Cook is available again after being absent due to a clash of heads against the Cherries which left him with a bloody gash, as well as for personal reasons as his father suffered a cardiac arrest prior to the clash on the south coast. However, Cooper says strikers Lewis Grabban and Keinan Davis (both hamstring) and full-back Max Lowe (groin) remain sidelined - although the latter would be ineligible to feature against his parent club anyway.
“They are making progress. We’ll give them every chance to be available,” the head coach said of Yates and Colback. “They’re obviously desperate to play, as you can imagine. Everybody is desperate to play. We’ve got another 48 hours before kick-off.
“Max, Keinan and Lewis are as they were, still injured. Scott is fine - he was fine to be on the bench last week. Djed is the same.
“And Steve Cook will be available. He had some personal stuff going on and he cracked his head open at Bournemouth, so he didn’t play at Hull for a couple of reasons. But he’s back with us now and is looking good.
“We’re doing alright. Normal really.”
Asked if Grabban or Davis could be back in time for the return leg, at the City Ground on Tuesday night, Cooper said: “I don’t think so, no. It’s not something we’ve thought about, we take it game by game.
“It would be such a quick turnaround. Normally if you are available for a Tuesday game - unless it’s a really short injury - you are probably available for what would be the Saturday game, and that’s not the case. So no, is the answer.”
