Albion talking to parent clubs over Brad and Jake

featured as well.

“Obviously, Turner came on on Saturday and did well for 30 minutes but he had another 60-odd minutes on Tuesday and Ben Fox had about 70 minutes.

“They are important steps in their recovery.

“Normally, if it wasn’t this time of year, we would have another (friendly) game next week, just to get them through 90 minutes.

“But with the number of first-team games we have coming up in the next two or three weeks, that won’t be possible.

“So any action they get will be first-team action, because I think we’re going to need all the bodies we can get up to January 5.”

Centre-half Kyle McFadzean, who went off with a hip injury in Saturday’s win over Shrewsbury, will be assessed ahead of the weekend, with Turner’s return helping ease injury worries at the back.

“He got a fair old whack when he came in and made the clearance,” added Clough.

“So we’ll see how he is this week. We need him over the Christmas period, certainly.

“It’s good that Ben Turner has come through the two games, he’ll be available, and Jake Buxton will, as always.

“It’s looking relatively healthy at this moment. It can all change on Saturday but they’re not looking too bad.”

Meanwhile, Brewers academy scholar Ben Hart has joined Evo-Stik West Division side Kidsgrove Athletic on a one-month work experience loan.

Hart has been part of the Burton squad in the Checkatrade Trophy this season. BURTON Albion’s discussions are ongoing over extending the loan spells of Jake Hesketh and Bradley Collins – although the latter’s contract situation at Chelsea is “complicating things a little bit”, according to manager Nigel Clough.

The Brewers currently have a trio of loanees signed until January 2, with Southampton’s Hesketh and Jake Flannigan and Blues goalkeeper Collins all available up to and including the New Year’s Day trip to Bristol Rovers.

Flannigan is unlikely to return after the recurrence of a knee injury that limited him to a single Checkatrade Trophy appearance but Clough says the Brewers are keen to keep Hesketh and Collins for the rest of the season and are in talks with the parent clubs.

Albion also have Stephen Quinn, Dimitar Evtimov, Elliot Hodge and Kieran Wallace on short-term contracts which expire next month.

“They are just ongoing, discussions with them all, at the moment,” said Clough.

“With Bradley Collins, we are just waiting on Chelsea.

“I think he’s out of contract with them in the summer, so that is complicating things a little bit.

“Obviously, we’d certainly like to keep him and Jake if we can.”

Clough wants to maintain the current balance of his squad into the second half of the campaign.

And with the January transfer window on the horizon, he added that there has been no interest shown in any Burton players so far.

“We’ve not had anything at all, not one enquiry from anybody at the moment,” he said.

“That’s fine by us. We want to keep what we’ve got, if we can. Maybe one or two on the fringes we will tweak but, generally speaking, I think we’re happy with our squad.”

Burton striker Liam Boyce was the subject of several bids from Championship side Bolton Wanderers in August.