Finley sidelined but trio return for Rovers

BRISTOL Rovers midfielder Sam Finley is set to miss several weeks through injury, but boss Joey Barton has been boosted by the return of three other players, writes Sam Frost.

Finley, pictured, who captained Rovers on several occasions this season, has suffered knee ligament damage and faces approximately three weeks on the sidelines.

However, his absence will be offset by the imminent return of wingers Sam Nicholson and Luke Thomas, as well as left-back Trevor Clarke.

The latter is back in training and is thought to be a week away from a place in the squad, but Nicholson and Thomas are in contention for today’s clash with Carlisle United at the Memorial Stadium after shin and ankle issues respectively.

Their return is timely with the pressure on Barton from the terraces at an all-time high after the 3-1 defeat to Swindon six days ago.

“Sam Finley, in a tackle which wasn’t given, managed to rumble on in the game, but he’s got a grade one MCL (medial collateral ligament sprain), so that’ll be him for three weeks,” Barton said.

“We’ve had Trevor Clarke, Sammy Nicholson and Luke Thomas back in the group, though, so they should all come back into contention.

“Trev might be a week too early, but the other two certainly will be pushing if they get through training to be on the bench and possibly play 20-30 minutes of the game.

“The rough with the smooth a little bit there, and injuries are part and parcel of football.

“We’ve built a squad here that has got competition running right throughout it and at this moment in time we’re relying heavily on the squad because we’ve got, because we’ve got seven or eight first-team players who are not available, but I’m not the only manager in the pyramid who has got that. We have to find a solution to play well and give a good performance.”

Barton will also have centre-half

Connor Taylor available for the visit of Carlisle after he was cleared by the medical staff this week.

“We took him off (last week against Swindon) because we thought it was concussion,” Barton explained. “He went down and had a dizzy spell.

“It wasn’t a concussion, nobody touched him or got near him. He had like a panic attack. His heart rate and breathing had become irregular. He’s had it in his career before.

“Forgive me because I’m a football coach and not a surgeon, but it’s something to do with something in his heart. It’s a simple procedure. It doesn’t sound like that, but he’d be out for three weeks to get it. He doesn’t need that at this moment. He saw the specialist on Wednesday, who gave him the all-clear.”