Eurosport - Fri, 18 Sep 13:37:00 2009
Team news ahead of Saturday's League Two fixtures, with new Lincoln signing Sergio Torres set for an immediate debut at home to Shrewsbury.
(All matches kick off at 3pm on Saturday)
Barnet v Bradford
Barnet will be without veteran striker Paul Furlong when Bradford visit Underhill.
Furlong - who turns 41 next month - has played every minute of Ian Hendon`s side`s league campaign this season but will finally be forced into a rest as he serves a one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards.
That will see Jake Hyde partner John O'Flynn in attack as the Bees look for a third home win of the season to keep the pressure on at the top of League Two.
Hendon is likely to restrict winger Albert Adomah to the bench after he broke his nose at Macclesfield last weekend. He is set to have the fracture re-set in hospital on Monday so Albert Jarrett will start in his place.
Defender Dan Leach is back in training after an ankle injury but assistant manager Gary Breen is still not fit to return from his knee problem.
Bradford manager Stuart McCall is expected to change his formation and start with three central midfielders.
McCall has no new injury or suspension worries while several players have shaken off various illnesses, including defender Matt Clarke (tonsilitis) and Michael Boulding (virus).
Chris Brandon could make way for James O'Brien in midfield if McCall opts to switch his system and Boulding is likely to start on the substitutes' bench again with James Hanson resuming his partnership with Gareth Evans up front.
Peter Thorne, who has missed the last five matches, is not ready to return following a groin injury and Steven O'Leary is nursing a broken toe.
The Bantams have won their last three matches on the road, at Cheltenham, Shrewsbury and Rochdale in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, and are unbeaten in their last five.
Burton v Dagenham
Michael Simpson is expected to be fit for Burton's game against high-flying Dagenham at the Pirelli Stadium.
The midfielder missed training at the start of the week through illness but should retain his place in the starting line-up.
Captain Aaron Webster continued his return to fitness with another run-out for the reserves during the week and the full-back is available.
Andrew Corbett's substitution at half-time in the 1-1 draw at Bradford was a tactical switch so boss Paul Peschisolido has no new injury problems.
Albion are on a four-game unbeaten league run so Peschisolido is not expected to make too many changes against the second-placed Daggers.
Midfielders Russell Penn and Jimmy Phillips and on-loan striker Robin Shroot are among those players hoping for recalls.
Cheltenham v Rotherham
Elvis Hammond is fully fit for Cheltenham's home clash against Rotherham.
The striker came on as a second-half substitute in the dramatic 1-0 triumph at Bury last weekend after missing the previous three games with an ankle injury.
And after another week of training he is now raring to go and is pushing for a starting place against the Millers.
Influential midfielder Michael Pook is stepping up his recovery from a knee injury and is in line to make his return sooner rather than later, but Oliver Bozanic remains some way off.
Captain Shane Duff is looking at another three weeks on the sidelines as he continues to nurse a calf problem.
Otherwise, manager Martin Allen has a full-strength squad to select from as he looks to continue the club's impressive start to the season.
Rotherham striker Adam Le Fondre is a doubt.
Le Fondre, who has scored four goals for the club since joining from Rochdale last month, picked up a knock in training on Thursday morning and will be assessed.
Le Fondre is not caretaker manager Steve Thornber's only fitness concern, either, with Nicky Law struggling with a toe injury.
Captain Ian Sharps is expected to shake off a hamstring injury, though, while striker Tom Pope (ankle) played an hour for the reserves in midweek and could be included.
The club are no closer to replacing Mark Robins as manager and despite receiving over 50 applications they will not have a new man in place before the game.
Chesterfield v Macclesfield
Drew Talbot is Chesterfield's only injury concern ahead of the visit of Macclesfield.
The forward had to be substituted at half-time in the defeat at Dagenham after sustaining a knee problem. Scans have revealed no obvious damage but he is a doubt.
On-loan Manchester City striker Donal McDermott is likely to be recalled to the starting line-up should Talbot not make it.
Boss John Sheridan has three former Macclesfield players in his squad in goalkeeper Tommy Lee, midfielder Paul Harsley and striker Martin Gritton, though only Lee has been selected to start any of the club's League Two games this season.
In the first home game since the death of office manager Sue Green, the club have announced that a minute's applause will take place before kick-off as a mark of respect.
Macclesfield striker Ben Wright is approaching full fitness as his side prepare to make the trip to Chesterfield.
Wright returned from a groin injury to make a substitute appearance in last weekend's 1-1 draw at home to Barnet and also featured for the reserves in midweek.
Boss Keith Alexander said: "Ben is coming back from injury and has been unlucky not to have scored so far this season.
"So hopefully he can take something from the reserve game in midweek."
However, fellow frontman Kyle Wilson is nursing a similar injury sustained in training and could miss out again.
Defender Shaun Hessey is still undergoing rehabilitation for a knee problem and is around three weeks away from a return to match fitness.
Crewe v Aldershot
James Bailey could return to Crewe's squad for the visit of Aldershot.
The young midfielder has been sidelined for just over a month with a groin injury but came through a reserve-team outing this week and could be included.
Mat Mitchel-King has missed two games with the back problem he sustained in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat to Stockport. The defender has resumed light training but is short of match fitness and is unlikely to be considered.
Joel Grant will face his former club for the first time since his £110,000 switch to Gresty Road last summer but boss Gudjon Thordarson insists the midfielder will not be fazed by the prospect.
"Joel will be competing against some familiar faces and he will be determined to do well but he is like that every week. It won't matter to him much," Thordarson told the club's official website.
"He will not need motivating and I will not need to have a private word with him. He will treat it like any other game."
Aldershot manager Gary Waddock has a defensive dilemma on his hands.
Waddock is set to be without three of his first-choice back four while his number one goalkeeper is also a doubt.
Right-back Ben Herd has been out since picking up a knee injury on the opening day while captain Adam Hinshelwood is missing for at least another fortnight after injuring his knee against Hereford a fortnight ago.
Left-back Andy Sandell is also now out for three weeks with an ankle injury, sustained in last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Port Vale, while goalkeeper Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz is struggling with the effects of a dead leg.
Clark Masters is on standby to make his league debut for the club in goal while Anthony Charles, Dave Winfield, Chris Blackburn and Anthony Straker will make up a patchwork back four. Midfielder Dean Parrett will be included after joining on loan from Spurs.
Midfielder Ben Harding - who missed most of last season with an Achilles injury - has ankle ligament damage and is beginning a two-month lay-off while left-back Dean Howell is recovering from a hip operation.
Darlington v Bournemouth
Darlington manager Colin Todd is expected to hand debuts to Russell Hoult and Jamie Devitt for the home game with Bournemouth.
Goalkeeper Hoult has joined on loan from Notts County and midfielder Devitt has arrived from Hull for a similar period.
Hoult is likely to replace summer signing David Knight, while Todd has yet to decide who will make way for Devitt.
Todd will be without experienced defender Mark Bower, who has sustained an ankle injury in training, while on-loan midfielder Nathan Porritt has returned to Middlesbrough.
Striker Lee Thorpe (groin) and full-back Paul Arnison (hamstring) are making steady progress but are not yet ready for first-team action.
Young striker Curtis Main is hoping to earn a recall to the first-team squad.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe again has a number of injury concerns to deal with ahead of the long trip.
Howe has led his side to the summit of League Two despite a transfer embargo and a crippling injury list but has further problems to contend with before the clash at the Darlington Arena.
Midfielder Liam Feeney heads his list of doubts after picking up a thigh strain in training this week while Marvin Bartley broke his hand playing for the reserves and may not play if he has to wear a cast.
Joe Partington also picked up an injury turning out for the second string, with a thigh problem putting his place in jeopardy.
Danny Hollands is now fully fit after knee surgery and could be involved after making two substitute appearances but Shaun Cooper (hip) and Jeff Goulding (ankle) are long-term absentees.
Hereford v Accrington
Hereford boss John Trewick will be able to call upon three new faces for the crucial home clash against Accrington.
Leicester forward Craig King, Swindon winger Mark Marshall and Peterborough full-back Danny Blanchett have all signed month-long loan deals with the League Two strugglers and come into contention.
The clash is almost a must-win game for the Bulls even at this early stage of the season, as they have so far failed to pick up three points.
However, Trewick will definitely be without two players at Edgar Street as winger Jonny Godsmark remains sidelined with a broken hand and midfielder Craig Jones misses out with a back problem.
Defender Darren Dennehy is battling to be fit following an ankle injury and is rated at 50/50.
Accrington manager John Coleman will put midfielder Jimmy Ryan through a late fitness test.
Ryan has not played since the Johnstone's Paint Trophy win at Oldham on September 1 after suffering a deep cut to his leg.
He has now recovered, though, and is pushing for a place in Coleman's starting line up for the Edgar Street clash.
Coleman has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, with John Mullin still unavailable with an ankle injury and Leam Richardson and Chris King also long-term absentees.
Stanley go into the game looking to record a third successive win in the league and a fourth in all competitions, with the Oldham game succeeded by victories over Bury and Darlington.
Lincoln v Shrewsbury
Sergio Torres (pictured) goes straight into the Lincoln squad for the visit of Shrewsbury.
The Argentine joined the Imps on a month's loan from Peterborough this week and will challenge for a midfield berth.
Caretaker manager Simon Clark could also be boosted by the return of Stefan Oakes. The midfielder has missed the last three games with a groin injury but played 70 minutes for the reserves on Tuesday.
Young striker Nathan Adams sustained an ankle injury in that game against Rotherham and will not be involved. The 17-year-old joins fellow forward Paul Connor (knee) on the sidelines.
On-loan defender Joe Heath underwent a hernia operation this week and the Nottingham Forest left-back will be out for around a month.
Lewis Neal will be fit for Shrewsbury's trip to managerless Lincoln.
The winger failed a late fitness test on his groin prior to last Saturday's 2-0 victory over Crewe but returned to training this week and will be okay.
Midfielder Craig Disley also made an earlier than expected return but will not be considered for the trip to Sincil Bank as he looks to get more training under his belt following a knee injury.
On-loan Joss Labadie is a doubt having injured his big toe. The midfielder has been unable to even fit his boot on this week, meaning he has missed training, but the swelling may have gone down in time come the weekend.
Simpson is still managing to cope with a threadbare squad at his disposal, naming only 17 fit players in his matchday squad to face Alex last weekend.
Goalkeepers Chris Neal (groin) and Glyn Garner (shoulder), defender Mike Jackson (bone bruising), midfielder Terry Dunfield (shoulder) and striker Omer Riza (ankle) all remain sidelined.
Morecambe v Notts County
Morecambe boss Sammy McIlroy has no fresh injury concerns as his side host Notts County.
Defender Will Haining is edging closer to a recovery after a knee injury but will not come into contention to face the big-spending Magpies.
Haining, a summer signing following his release from St Mirren, managed just three games for the Shrimps at the start of the season before suffering the injury setback against Burton.
Midfielder Fraser McLachlan is a long-term absentee after he twisted his knee in the opening-day draw against Hereford.
McIlroy will be reluctant to make changes elsewhere as his side seek to build on last weekend's hard-fought goalless draw at high-flying Rotherham.
Phil Jevons and Paul Mullin again look set to spearhead the Shrimps' attack.
Notts County's leading scorer Lee Hughes is a doubt.
The striker, who hit a hat-trick in the 5-2 home win over Northampton to take his tally for the season to seven goals, has been suffering with a chest infection.
Should he not make it Luke Rodgers is likely to partner Karl Hawley in attack for Ian McParland's side.
Contrary to some reports, former England defender Sol Campbell is unlikely to make his debut as McParland believes the centre-half is still short of match fitness.
Stephen Hunt is a doubt with a groin injury while the same problem has ruled out fellow defender Graeme Lee once more.
Veteran goalkeeper Russell Hoult, a substitute since Kasper Schmeichel's arrival at the club, has joined League Two rivals Darlington on a month's loan.
Northampton v Rochdale
Northampton will be without defender Chris McCready for the visit of Rochdale.
McCready was sent off in the 5-2 thrashing at Notts County last Saturday for a professional foul and will sit out a one-match suspension as caretaker manager Ian Sampson takes charge of his first home game.
Craig Hinton should take McCready`s place in the heart of defence while midfielder Luke Guttridge could make his first appearance of the season.
The former Southend midfielder picked up a knee injury in pre-season which has hampered his campaign to date but he played 90 minutes for the reserves in midweek and is available.
Adebayo Akinfenwa, Abdul Osman and Gary Mulligan will all hope for recalls after being left out by Sampson last week while Simon Brown will continue in goal after making his debut at Meadow Lane.
Wing-back Liam Davis remains sidelined with a broken foot as Sampson looks for a win to lift confidence at Sixfields.
Rochdale boss Keith Hill is sweating on the fitness of a trio of forwards.
Chris Dagnall, Chris O'Grady and Adam Rundle are all undergoing treatment for various knocks and will be assessed.
However, Hill has secured the services of Oldham midfielder Dale Stephens for another month's loan.
The 22-year-old has impressed during his short time at Spotland and scored the equaliser in the thrilling 3-3 draw with Morecambe earlier this month.
Stephens remains at Rochdale alongside Latics teammate O'Grady and can be recalled by the Boundary Park club at 24 hours notice.
Defender Rory McArdle is still out with a dislocated shoulder and midfielder Ciaran Toner is also a long-term absentee due to a shin injury.
Port Vale v Bury
Micky Adams is not expected to have any new injury or suspension concerns as his Port Vale side prepare to welcome Bury.
Vale's 1-1 draw at Aldershot last weekend means the resurgent League Two club are now five games unbeaten in all competitions.
Adams will be looking to extend that run against a Bury side who have struggled at home this term but have been solid on their travels.
Striker James Lawrie has been in and around training this week after having his appendix removed but it remains to be seen whether he will be involved against the Shakers.
Left-back Kris Taylor returned from a thigh strain at the EBB Stadium and he will be okay to feature once again.
Goalkeeper Joe Anyon continues to set up his recovery from a broken leg but is not yet ready.
Bury have secured the services of Leeds striker Tom Elliott on a three-month loan deal ahead of the trip to Vale.
Elliott, 18, made his first-team debut for Leeds in February 2007 and in doing so became the first United player to feature for the club while still at school.
He could make his debut at Vale Park as the Shakers bid to end a five-match run without scoring a goal.
Boss Alan Knill is boosted by the return to full fitness of young trio David Buchanan, Michael Jones and Danny Racchi.
Ben Futcher should also feature despite suffering with concussion following a clash of heads in training last week, while Damien Allen is also close to a return.
Torquay v Grimsby
Torquay could hand a debut to new loan signing Danny Mills when they play host to Grimsby.
The giant 18-year-old striker has joined the Gulls on a three-month loan from Championship side Peterborough and goes straight into Paul Buckle's squad.
Buckle may have to make do without central defenders Kieran Charnock and Lee Hodges. Charnock missed last Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Rochdale, where Hodges (knee) hobbled off at half-time.
Torquay are hoping Lee Mansell (groin) will pass fit to return after being ruled out since last month's 1-0 home defeat by Barnet.
On-loan Southampton keeper Michael Poke is poised to make his home bow after starting at Spotland last week in the absence of injured Scott Bevan (ankle).
And Buckle's options are boosted by the return of central defender Mark Ellis and midfielder Steve Adams from loan spells at Forest Green Rovers.
Grimsby's injury woes are showing signs of easing ahead of the long trip to Plainmoor.
Goalkeeper Nick Colgan (groin), midfielder Nick Hegarty (ankle) and strikers Nathan Jarman (foot) and Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro (thigh) are all back in training.
The game is likely to come too soon for Colgan and Jarman but manager Mike Newell may be able to name Hegarty and Akpa Akpro in his squad.
Midfielder Danny Boshell is definitely available after serving a one-match suspension but strikers Barry Conlon and Adam Proudlock sit out the final game of their three-match bans.
They will come back into contention when Darlington visit Blundell Park on September 26.
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