Davies not expected to play again for Rovers this season
BRISTOL Rovers defender Tom Davies is set to miss the rest of the season following a “desperately disappointing” recurrence of his knee injury.
The 27-year-old returned to action for Rovers in January after almost three months out with tendinitis, but four games into his comeback he has suffered a significant setback.
The centre-back is set to undergo surgery to tackle the issue, which will take several months to heal, almost certainly ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Davies had been in fine form when available for the Gas this season, playing 21 games and scoring once, but he was not involved in Saturday’s defeat to Wycombe Wanderers and will be on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
“Unfortunately we’ve had a big setback on Tom Davies,” said Pirates boss Ben Garner. “He’s going to be a long-term one.
“He’s got an issue with his knee that we think is going to require surgery, unfortunately.
“I’m desperately disappointed for Tom because he’s tried to come back and it’s still not right and it, unfortunately, looks like surgery is the only option.
“He’s very disappointed, as naturally you would be, but it’s important now that, first and foremost, we support him as a person in a difficult time for him, and then support him through the surgery and the rehabilitation afterwards.”
Injuries have marred Rovers’ season, with Josh Hare and Anssi Jaakkola forced into long-term absences, while Liam Sercombe remains sidelined with a shoulder issue.
But it is not all bad news for Garner,
whose attacking options should be bolstered for tonight’s League One fixture at Tranmere Rovers.
“Gavin Reilly and James Daly are possibilities,” he revealed. “They’ve only got minor knocks, so we’ll have to assess how they are and whether they can come into the squad.
“I don’t think we picked up anything against Wycombe as far as I’m aware, so that’s good news on that front.”