McCrory is in frame as calf injury set to keep Buxton out
JAKE Buxton looks set to miss out on Burton Albion’s League One trip to Scunthorpe United tomorrow with a calf injury.
The Brewers captain, who has started 17 of their last 19 League games, sustained the problem in the dying seconds of Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Sunderland when he headed a late cross away.
Buxton has become a mainstay of the Burton defence in 2019, alongside Kyle McFadzean at centre-half.
Nigel Clough says his injury was the “major drawback” from an impressive performance at the Stadium of Light – although he also said that his skipper might not even have been starting on the night.
“He strained his calf in added time,” said the Brewers manager.
“That was a major drawback of the evening. It looks as though he’ll be struggling for Saturday, we don’t know how long beyond that.
“He leapt for a cross, cleared one and then felt his calf.
“We’ll see how he is but I would think he’s highly unlikely for Saturday.
“He was excellent again at Sunderland. He shouldn’t really have played. He has been carrying a couple of knocks, his toe was sore and there were one or two other things.
“Normally, I think we would have left him out but he wanted to play.”
Buxton was replaced by Damien McCrory at the Stadium of Light, on for his first League outing since December.
Albion left-back McCrory could be in contention for a centre-back role at Glanford Park, Clough suggesting they have several options in that position, despite a lack of outand-out centre-halves in the squad.
“It’ll be a straight swap if we do and the other one who can play left centre-half is Kieran Wallace, he’s done it several times,” said Clough. “So we’ve got a choice of two natural left-footed players and that’s important. We might even look at Colin Daniel there, then play Reece Hutchinson or Damien at left-back. “We’ve still got two or three options if Jake doesn’t make it. “Damien is in with a chance of starting on Saturday now. He got back in the 18 because Will Miller is ill. Will will be OK for Saturday, so he’ll come back in to make the 18 up.
“He (McCrory) has been out of the squad because we’ve got Reece, the youngster, on the bench and Colin Daniel is playing ever so well at left-back for us at the moment.
“Ben Fox covers us defensively, we’ve got Lucas Akins who can go back there, so it has been difficult to get him on the bench.
“But if, in the last five games of the season, he needs to do a job for us, that’s what he’ll have to do.”