Barnsley boss Mark Robins is giving key quartet Nathan Doyle, Bobby Hassell, Jacob Mellis and skipper Jason Shackell ‘until the last possible moment’ as they battle to be fit for Saturday’s trip to Pride Park.
Doyle (calf) and Mellis (ankle) both missed last Saturday’s home defeat to Norwich, while Hassell and Shackell came off injured in the first half.
All four are rated ‘doubtful’ for the clash with a Derby County team whose boss Nigel Clough admits is feeling ‘fragile’, following a 3-1 home loss to Doncaster Rovers in midweek.
With Stephen Foster and Hugo Colace still on the sidelines, Robins has concerns over half his team.
He told the Chronicle: “We are in the same situation as we were after the Norwich game. Four or five injuries have taken away the heartbeat of our side. We’ve got to keep on assessing them.
“We will give the players every chance to make Saturday’s match with Derby, and if they are ruled out it will give me a selection headache, especially defensively.
“But it will be a case of opportunity knocks for the players who have been out of the side."
