Rate it!

2 votes

Team news ahead of the weekend's League One action, with new Norwich boss Paul Lambert having the luxuryof a near-full squad to choose from.

(Kick-offs 15:00 UK time unless otherwise stated)

SATURDAY

Brighton and Hove Albion v Stockport County

Elliott Bennett goes straight into the Brighton squad for the home clash with Stockport.

The young winger trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Thursday morning after joining from Wolves for an undisclosed fee.

Albion will be without striker Glenn Murray, who needs another hernia operation and is likely to be out for at least three weeks.

Goalkeeper Michel Kuipers serves a one-match ban following the sending-off which sparked Tuesday's 7-1 mauling at Huddersfield, so Graeme Smith takes the gloves.

Midfielder Andrew Crofts is rated 50-50 with a leg injury after being clattered against the Terriers.

Jake Wright has a hamstring strain, fellow left-back Jim McNulty turned his ankle in training and forward Gary Hart is still out with a toe injury.

Stockport manager Gary Ablett has sought special dispensation from the Football League to play Liam Bridcutt.

Under League rules, clubs in administration cannot sign players if they have 20 or more professionals already on their books.

But Ablett is hoping to be able to play Chelsea loanee Bridcutt in place of young midfielder Matty Mainwaring - who is currently sidelined for six months with a broken leg.

Goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams is Ablett's only other injury concern.

The Wales Under-21 international injured his hand in the warm-up prior to Tuesday night's clash with Carlisle, but he is expected to be fit for the trip.

Bristol Rovers v Huddersfield Town

Steve Elliott could make his first appearance of the season when Bristol Rovers welcome Huddersfield to the Memorial Stadium.

The former Derby defender has been sidelined by a thigh strain so far this term but is fit to come into contention for the clash with Lee Clark's men.

It is unlikely that he will start, though, as first team coach Paul Trollope is expected to keep faith with the side that won 2-1 at Hartlepool in midweek.

That means that summer signing Dominic Blizzard will again have to settle for a place on the bench as he tries to improve his fitness following his move from Stockport. Trollope has no other fitness concerns.

The Pirates' win at Victoria Park was their third in a row in all competitions following their opening day defeat at home to Leyton Orient.

Huddersfield manager Lee Clark will welcome back Michael following a three-match ban for his dismissal in the 2-2 draw at Southend on the opening day of the season.

Fellow midfielder Jim Goodwin is still recovering from a knee operation during the summer but did take part in an 11-a-side match in training on Wednesday and is closing in on a return to first-team action.

The Terriers will be looking to continue their impressive run of form following the 7-1 mauling of Brighton on Tuesday.

Lee Novak grabbed his first goal for the club in that match and will be hoping to retain his place up front alongside Jordan Rhodes.

Carlisle United v Exeter City

Defender Richard Keogh will miss Carlisle's clash with Exeter after picking up an ankle injury in the midweek win over Stockport.

The centre-half landed awkwardly after going for a header and is expected to be missing for a number of weeks, although the exact length of his absence is yet to be determined.

David Raven could slot into the centre of defence in his place but the return to training of Peter Murphy after a groin strain could solve Greg Abbott's problems.

Paul Thirlwell has also trained following a dead leg and could make his return but teenage defender Simon Lakeland is a long-term absentee with a knee ligament injury.

Abbott, who is hopeful of signing a new striker before the transfer deadline, has spoken to Hamilton about making a move for Richard Offiong.

Exeter are boosted by the return of striker Barry Corr from suspension, having completed a three-match suspension following his red card in the opening day defeat to Leeds.

However, he may struggle to earn a place in the Grecians' starting line-up after manager Paul Tisdale elected to name an unchanged side in Tuesday night's 1-1 draw against Yeovil.

Marcus Stewart and James Norwood were handed the striking slots in midweek and will hope to have done enough to keep their places.

Richard Logan, Craig McAllister and Scott Golbourne are pushing for starts after they came off the bench in the closing stages of Tuesday's game.

Meanwhile, reports suggest the club are set to hand a trial to former Leyton Orient striker Wayne Gray.

Charlton Athletic v Walsall

Charlton defenders Miguel Llera and Christian Dailly will be patched up when Walsall visit The Valley.

Llera will again wear a headguard to protect the nasty wound he suffered on the opening day of the season against Wycombe.

Fellow centre-back Dailly is carrying a rib injury but is managing to play through the problem and will continue at the back.

Boss Phil Parkinson will therefore be able to name the same starting line-up which has secured victory in all three of the Addicks' league games so far this season.

Teenage star Jonjo Shelvey, a reported target for a number of Premier League clubs, scored his first goal of the campaign in Tuesday's win at Leyton Orient and will continue behind lone frontman Deon Burton.

Walsall boss Chris Hutchings has a full-strength squad. Midfielder Dwayne Mattis returns from the one-match suspension he served against Leeds on Tuesday night and is likely to be thrown back into the Saddlers' starting XI.

Defender Rhys Weston came back from his one-match ban in time for the Whites' dramatic 2-1 victory in midweek but lost his place to Darryl Westlake.

Yet his winning goal for the reserves on Wednesday night may have put him back in Hutchings' plans.

Midfielder Matt Richards took a bang to the head against Leeds and had to be replaced after just 29 minutes but he will be okay for the trip to London.

Walsall have picked up four points from their opening three games of the season while the Addicks are currently one of three sides at the top of League One with a maximum return so far.

Gillingham v Hartlepool United

Gillingham forward Dennis Oli is set to make his first appearance of the season when Hartlepool visit Priestfield.

Oli suffered a knee injury in the friendly draw with RUFC Calais in late July but is now back in full training and manager Mark Stimson revealed he will play some part as the Gills look to get back to winning ways.

Stimson`s side won their opening two games of the season against Swindon and Plymouth but return to Priestfield this weekend on the back of away defeats to Tranmere and Colchester.

The Gills boss is keen to keep a settled side so is likely to resist making changes, although winger Chris Palmer and goalkeeper Simon Royce are both pushing for starting spots.

Defender Josh Gowling is available for the final time before his loan spell from Carlisle expires, although Stimson is hoping to agree a permanent deal for the 25-year-old.

Midfielder Stuart Lewis and key centre-back Simon King are both still sidelined with ruptured ankle ligaments.

Ritchie Jones could be back in contention for Hartlepool. The midfielder is making good progress in his recovery from a groin injury sustained in the Carling Cup victory against Coventry and should be part of the travelling party.

Colin Larkin is expected to return to training next week after suffering a thigh problem in the warm-up before Pools' clash with Charlton last Saturday.

Fellow forward James Brown made his first start in nine months in the 2-1 defeat at home to Bristol Rovers on Tuesday and looked sharp, although two games in quick succession may mean he drops to the bench at Priestfield.

Ritchie Humphreys (Achilles) and Ben Clark (hernia) are long-term absentees.

Leeds United v Tranmere Rovers

Leeds manager Simon Grayson has no new injury concerns to contend with for the visit of Tranmere.

Grayson will once again be without midfielder Ben Parker, who has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, and defender Richard Naylor, who has been sidelined since undergoing a back operation at the end of last season.

However, Grayson is hopeful that both will be ready for a return soon.

"Richard's back running and upping that at the moment so we're hoping he might be able to start doing some football work with us early next week," Grayson told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"Ben's not going to be too far away either, and that's good news for us."

Defender Jason Crowe passed a fitness test on an ankle injury before the midweek win over Walsall and is set to retain his place in the side after completing the full 90 minutes of that game.

Tranmere boss John Barnes will assess the fitness of Ian Goodison and Ian Thomas-Moore.

Jamaica defender Goodison was substituted in the 65th minute of Tuesday night's 1-0 home defeat against MK Dons with a hamstring problem.

He was replaced by Ash Taylor but Barnes expects Goodison to be available for the Elland Road showdown.

Skipper Thomas-Moore, meanwhile, limped out of the MK Dons game midway through the second half with a groin strain and is rated as doubtful.

Fellow frontman Bas Savage is not expected to play until the New Year because of a ruptured Achilles tendon injury which he sustained towards the end of last season.

Gavin Gunning, the Irish youth international centre-back on a month's loan from Blackburn, battled through the Dons game with blisters but Barnes is hopeful the condition will have eased by the weekend.

MK Dons v Colchester United

MK Dons manager Paul Ince will play Danny Woodards as an emergency centre-half against Colchester on Saturday.

The former Crewe right-back played 60 minutes in the centre of defence during the 1-0 win at Tranmere on Tuesday night after Darren Powell limped off with a hamstring injury and will deputise again from the start.

Powell is joined on the treatment table by fellow defenders Jude Stirling (groin), Danny Swailes (Achilles) and Sean O`Hanlon (knee) while captain Dean Lewington and Mathias Doumbe are both still out after the head injuries they sustained at Swindon last weekend to leave Ince down to the bare bones.

Midfielder Luke Howell will continue at right-back while Ince's injury problems are not restricted to defenders.

Midfielder Peter Leven (groin) is still a fortnight away from a return to action while forwards Aaron Wilbraham (ankle) and Sam Baldock (groin) are also still out.

Colchester caretaker-boss Joe Dunne could name an unchanged side as the U's attempt to maintain their 100 per cent start to the League One season.

Kem Izzet stepped into central midfield for Tuesday's win over Gillingham after captain Dean Hammond completed his switch to Southampton.

Striker Clive Platt serves the final game of his three-match ban so Scott Vernon partners Kevin Lisbie in attack with Joel Thomas, the summer signing from Hamilton, on the bench again.

Frontmen Steven Gillespie (hamstring) and Jamie Guy (knee) remain sidelined while defender Paul Reid is still out after knee surgery, although he has joined in some training sessions and could be back in early September.

Victory at stadium:mk would represent the U's' best start to a season in 71 years.

Norwich City v Wycombe Wanderers

Paul Lambert will have a virtually full squad to choose from for his first game as Norwich manager against Wycombe.

Lambert - who took Wycombe to a League Cup semi-final as well as the League Two play-offs during his tenure at Adams Park - was in the stands for the 2-1 defeat at Brentford on Tuesday night but will name the side on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos and defender Michael Nelson will be hoping for a fresh start to their Carrow Road careers after failing to feature since the opening day 7-1 thrashing by Colchester - a result masterminded by Lambert.

Midfielder Owain Tudur Jones capped his return to the starting line-up with a goal at Brentford and will hope to continue but Rhoys Wiggins remains sidelined with a knee injury.

Youngsters Kris Renton (foot) and Damon Lathrope (broken arm) are the only other absentees.

Wycombe boss Peter Taylor has no fresh injury concerns but may make changes as the Chairboys come face to face with former manager Paul Lambert.

Midfielder Matt Bloomfield suffered a broken nose and fractured cheek in the Carling Cup clash with Peterborough and will be out for at least another month while Lewis Hunt (foot) and TJ Moncur (groin) are also sidelined.

Taylor is confident that Tommy Doherty will be back sooner than expected from his ankle injury but the former Bristol City man is not in contention for the trip to Carrow Road.

Lewwis Spence (foot) is back in light training but will not travel as Taylor looks for a first win of the season.

Oldham Athletic v Swindon Town

Oldham boss Dave Penney could hand a debut to Blackburn forward Nick Blackman when Swindon visit Boundary Park.

The rookie striker has joined the Latics on a month's loan and comes into contention to face the Robins.

Midfield man Danny Whitaker missed Tuesday's 2-0 defeat at Millwall because he was unwell.

Whitaker had been named in Penney's 18-man squad but was unable to travel after being struck down by a bug.

He will be assessed but summer signings Rob Purdie and Joe Jacobson remain sidelined due to injury.

Midfielder Purdie is recovering from a stomach injury and defender Jacobson is currently troubled by a hernia.

Striker Lewis Alessandra has joined Chester on a month's loan and could go straight into their starting line-up for Saturday's daunting trip to Luton.

Sean Morrison and Jon-Paul McGovern both look like winning their fitness battles for Swindon.

Defender Morrison injured his groin during Tuesday night's victory over Southampton, during which he headed the only goal of the game, but is expected to recover in time.

Midfielder McGovern also sustained a knock but should be okay.

Winger Alan O`Brien has now fully recovered from an ankle injury and will be pressing for a start having been on the bench in the Robins' last two outings.

Defender Hasney Aljofree (knee), midfielder Kurt Hammonds and striker Lee Peacock (back) continue to progress with their long-term injuries.

Swindon have experienced every emotion in their three league games to date this season with one win, one loss and one draw - and they will come up against an Oldham side at Boundary Park who have done the same.

Southampton v Brentford

Dean Hammond and Neal Trotman have been added to the Southampton squad for the visit of Brentford.

Midfielder Hammond completed his switch from Colchester for a reported £400,000 fee earlier this week, and centre-half Trotman has since arrived from Preston on a loan deal until January.

Saints boss Alan Pardew will hand a late fitness test to veteran right-back Graeme Murty, who missed Tuesday night's defeat at Swindon with a dead leg and remains a doubt.

Midfielder Joseph Mills is still on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and young forward Kayne McLaggon is continuing his recovery from a ruptured Achilles.

Pardew will again choose between Matt Paterson, Grzegorz Rasiak and Marek Saganowski to partner £1million striker Rickie Lambert in attack.

Brentford look set to be without skipper Alan Bennett after the Irish defender limped out of Tuesday night's 2-1 win over Norwich with a groin injury.

Boss Andy Scott moved quickly for some cover by bringing Bristol City centre-half James Wilson back to the club on a month's loan, and he could start at St Mary's.

Summer recruit Leon Legge provides another option at the back having finally completed the four-match ban which has delayed his Bees debut.

Brentford's only other injury absentees are strikers Charlie MacDonald and Ben Strevens.

MacDonald is still missing with the shoulder injury he suffered towards the end of last season and the unlucky Strevens broke his leg shortly after joining from Dagenham.

Yeovil Town v Leyton Orient

Yeovil captain Stefan Stam is set to be ruled out of his side's League One game against Leyton Orient.

The central defender suffered a hamstring injury after scoring an own goal in Tuesday's 1-1 derby draw at Exeter and was substituted after 17 minutes.

Terrell Forbes was recalled from the bench to slot in for Stam at the back and is likely to start at the weekend.

Yeovil boss Terry Skiverton made four changes from the side beaten 2-1 at Colchester with Craig Alcock, Nathan Smith, Danny Schofield and Jon Obika called in at the expense of Forbes, Nathan Jones, Scott Murray and Gavin Tomlin.

And Skiverton may elect to shuffle his pack again as his side go in search of their first victory since the opening day of the season.

Sean Thornton has emerged as an injury doubt for Orient after the influential midfielder twisted his knee towards the end of Tuesday night's 2-1 defeat by Charlton.

On-loan Tottenham youngster Andros Townsend could be handed a starting berth if Thornton fails to make it.

The O's have no other new injury problems, but boss Geraint Williams will consider making changes after successive home defeats against Oldham and the Addicks.

Williams must again perm two from Scott McGleish, Adrian Patulea, Ryan Jarvis and James Scowcroft in attack.

Midfielder Adam Chambers is still missing with a back problem and rookie Darryl Sydes remains sidelined with an ankle injury.

Follow every goal as it goes in with live scoring of all the weekend's League One games on eurosport.yahoo.com!

PA Sport