Rowe back in the mix for Easter weekend
NIGEL Pearson could soon have a full complement of left-backs to choose from with Tommy Rowe declaring himself ready to take on Stoke City on Good Friday and Jay Dasilva returning to training as well.
Since Pearson arrived at Ashton Gate he has been unable to select a recognised left-back, with teenager Ryley Towler, a centre-back by trade, and Steven Sessegnon, a right-back, used in the position over his six games in charge.
First-choice Dasilva has not played for the Robins since December 5, after another injury-interrupted season, with the 22-year-old undergoing surgery on a stress fracture of his tibia, while Rowe has been out since January 30 due to a knee issue.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol on Monday night, Rowe revealed he is fit and hopes to play over the Easter weekend, providing he can come through some high-intensity training matches this week unscathed.
City host Stoke at Ashton Gate on Friday before travelling to St Andrew’s to take on Coventry City on Easter Monday.
“I’ve been on the grass for a while now, it’s gone really well, (I have) a couple of weeks,” Rowe told host Geoff Twentyman. “I feel fantastic, strong and I think it’s only a matter of time now until I’m back involved and fighting for my place again.
“It was below the knee. The ligament between my tibia and fibia and I thought, at first, I had got away with it, but then the dreaded news comes.
“You do all you can to get back fit and fast, but you have to go through the right process. I had a good group of lads that were working hard with me at the same time. Me and Andi
Weimann spent a lot of time, similar sessions. When you have those type of people around you, it makes your journey a lot easier on the road to recovery.
“To be honest, the intensity of the training sessions we’ve been having, you look at the reserves, the U23s, I’ve probably had the intensity of those games already,” Rowe added, when asked if he will need an Under23 fixture before a first-team game.
“We’ll see what the manager is thinking over the weekend, with a busy schedule. Everyone is prepared to play, I’ll be one of those players.”
Dasilva’s return may not be so immediate due to the seriousness of his injury, and potential underlying issues having fractured his tibia in 2019/20 and then sustained a shin problem at the start of this term.
However, he was pictured on Monday undergoing ball work at the Robins High Performance Centre, which indicates the England Under21 international could make a return before the conclusion to the season on May 8.
In both Dasilva and Rowe’s absence, Sessegnon – who has encountered his own injury issues this season – has performed well and will be hopeful of keeping of place for this week’s game at Ashton Gate.
However, should Pearson select Rowe, it opens up a real dilemma on the right-hand side of defence with Sessegnon, Jack Hunt and now Danny Simpson all competing for one position. What Rowe’s return ultimately provides, though, is the ability to rotate in several positions over a span of four days over Easter.