Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper has welcomed the timely boost of an earlier than expected return for defender Steve Cook.
The centre-back suffered an ankle injury against Reading in mid-March and was set to be sidelined for six weeks. But he made his comeback on Monday night, coming off the bench in the 4-0 thumping of West Bromwich Albion.
It comes as skipper Lewis Grabban recently recovered from an ankle problem of his own which had kept him out since the end of January. And as the Reds look to secure a top-six finish in their final five games of the season, having the experienced duo available again could be crucial.
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Asked if Cook would be ready to start games, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Peterborough United, Cooper said: “It’s probably a bit of both really, truth be told. He hasn’t had loads of training sessions. Sometimes you have to work with these guys and listen to how they are feeling.
“We’ve got five games in two weeks, so there’s bound to be changes - some forced, some that we want to do tactically or to freshen things up. The more players we can have available, the better.
“It was great to see him back on. The fans gave him a good ovation when he came on as well, which was great.
“Lewis had a similar injury. They’ve both worked really hard and pushed themselves to get back in the mix. Fair play to them.
“With the more experienced guys, obviously you’re led by the physios, but you’ve got to listen to what they say as well, because they know their bodies. They would have had some injuries before, they know when it’s time to push on and when it’s time to maybe calm down. We work together.
“The physios have done a good job, and they are back available and in the mix. It’s good to have them back. It’s just Max and Keinan now.”
Full-back Max Lowe (groin) and striker Keinan Davis (hamstring) are Forest’s only absentees for the trip to London Road, with Grabban getting the green light to travel after missing the Baggies clash through illness. Like Davis, Scott McKenna had suffered hamstring trouble in last week’s defeat at Luton Town, and he was replaced by Cook on Monday as a precaution.
“Scott is fine, with his hamstring,” Cooper added. “But he was feeling it a little bit in the game before, and it was only a few days later. It was a cautious one, probably over-cautious, really, but it gave us an opportunity to get Cookie on.”
