9:49am Friday 19th March 2010
By Suzanne Geldard
BRIAN Laws has received a triple injury boost as Burnley go in search of their first Premier League away win at Wigan tomorrow.
Top scorer Steven Fletcher is set to be thrown straight back into the Clarets’ relegation battle after missing the last three games because of the broken hand he suffered on international duty with Scotland, while Kevin McDonald and Jack Cork have been pronounced fit after missing the damaging defeat to Wolves.
The duo were late casualties ahead of last Saturday’s ‘six-pointer’ at Turf Moor, forcing manager Laws to change a midfield that had ended the previous game strongly against Stoke.
McDonald suffered back spasms, while Cork complained of ankle and thigh problems.
“That was a body blow to us prior to a game because your preparation gets a knock a wee bit,” said Laws.
But the duo, along with front-man Fletcher, have had a good week’s training under their belt and are ready for a return to action at the DW Stadium.
“Fletcher’s real quality and he’s got goals in him. I was hoping he would be available for us against Wolves, at least to be on the bench, but the specialist has now given me the green light. It’s not going to do any more damage and he’s very confident in himself, so that’s great news,” said Laws.
“McDonald’s successfully come through training over the last couple of days.
“He has the influence in games and certainly in his last performance he was very, very good. So we missed him.
“We’re glad to see him back, and Jack Cork has successfully come through training as well after a knock.
“That’s three players who are added to the squad who have good quality so we’re going into it a bit healthier than we did on Saturday.”
But Chris McCann must wait at least another week before he can make a claim for a first team recall after missing out on last night’s reserve game against Manchester United.
The midfielder, who is recovering from his second knee injury of the season, had hoped to feature at Altrincham’s Moss Lane ground but, after a late check, it was decided next week’s return fixture against the Reds’ second string is a more realistic target for his comeback.
“We have to get to that point where we push him hard enough because we can't allow it to go right to the end of the season and give it rest and then he breaks down in the summer,” said Laws, who hopes to have both McCann and injured captain Steven Caldwell available before the end of the season.
“I hope so. Not just for the club’s sake but for his sake as well. It’s a long time that he’s been out. I haven’t seen him play.
"That’s the disappointment for me,” added the Burnley boss of Caldwell, who has been sidelined since December with a groin injury, forcing him to miss going head-to-head with younger brother Gary at Wigan tomorrow.
“He’s training on the training ground but he’s nowhere near the game situation yet.”
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