JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink has updated fans on injury concerns for two of his key players.
Conor Shaughnessy is facing two months on the sidelines after coming off at the start of Tuesday’s game against Ipswich but Calum Butcher maybe ready to play again on Saturday as the Brewers face Port Vale at the Pirelli Stadium (kick off 3pm).
The Brewers manager said: “Conor’s ankle is not a break which is a plus. But his ankle is really swollen so we think its ligaments. He will have to have an MRI scan but at the moment we think it will be at least two months out.
“Calum will be touch and go for Saturday. It’s about 50-50 but if he doesn’t make Saturday, he will definitely be ready for Cambridge.”
Cameron Borthwick Jackson had to wear a face mask on Tuesday after receiving a facial injury.
Hasselbaink said: “He doesn’t get enough credit for that and he’s a brave lad. He broke his nose quite badly and his face was swollen, and he had a black eye, but he still wanted to play and be there for the team.”
Hasselbaink was left frustrated by the result on Tuesday but was pleased with his team’s performance in the 1-0 defeat against the early league leaders.
He said: “Our challenge is to maintain that kind of performance and go better and to reward ourselves with goals.
“We need to keep on at it. There’s no way we can sit back and think we have cracked it. Saturday’s game will be another difficult one but for different reasons. We need to bring the same intensity but there will be different aspects to the game.
“Port Vale will ask different questions, but the fundamentals will stay the same.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on us. We just need to perform and if we perform really well then the result will come with us. But we really need to be at our game again because that’s what Port Vale deserve.
“They play from back to front a little bit quicker than Ipswich at times and have different types of striker, better in the air, and ask different questions from the defenders. We need to be even better on the second balls as they play quicker forward. The sharpness has to be there, the reactions there as well.”