Stoke City manager Mark Robins has delivered a squad fitness update ahead of Saturday's league trip to Wolves. The news covers several players who featured in Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie against Hull and others stepping up their recovery.
Robins' side currently sit 21st in the Championship with zero points from two games, having lost both and conceding five goals. They travel to face a Wolves side sitting 4th in the table, six points behind early leaders Millwall. The manager is carefully managing his squad's workload after a spate of injuries last season.
Ethan Galbraith and Djibril Soumare both started in the Championship against Southampton last weekend after missing a chunk of pre-season. The plan for the midweek cup game was for them to share the 90 minutes. Galbraith started, Soumare came on at half-time, and they completed the match as intended.
"It was the plan with Ethan," Robins said. "You know we've got physical gurus who are experts in their field so we know what we need to do in terms of management of those players so they're not overcooked, not undercooked. We're getting them up to speed." This careful management is key for a squad that has scored just twice this season.
Ben Pearson made his first appearance of the season in that cup game, playing the full 90 minutes. His future at the club has been subject to speculation. He needed physio treatment late in the match after a knock.
"I think he's ok. He had a knee knock against his knee," Robins explained. The manager will hope Pearson is available for selection as Stoke look to improve their -3 goal difference.
Bosun Lawal made his return from injury as a substitute against Hull and is now in contention to start at Molineux. Meanwhile, three other players are stepping up their training. Junior Tchamadeu, Lamine Cisse, and Ato Ampah are all working towards a return to the squad.
Robins indicated he hopes to have them back sooner rather than later. Their reintegration could provide a timely boost for a team searching for its first points of the campaign. The full squad details are available online.
Ben Johnson made his first home start for Stoke City in the cup, playing 64 minutes. George Hirst came off the bench for the final half hour. Both players joined from Ipswich Town but had limited pre-season involvement with their former club.
Johnson had been part of most of Ipswich's plans, while Hirst returned later due to World Cup commitments with Scotland. Consequently, neither had done enough match preparation. Robins stated that Johnson is currently closer than Hirst to being fully ready, confirming Johnson was never scheduled to play the full match on Tuesday.
Stoke City had a day off on Wednesday and returned to training on Thursday to prepare for the tough test at Wolves. The lunchtime kick-off at Molineux presents a significant challenge for a team at the foot of the standings. Robins will be demanding a response from his players as they seek to climb the table.
