Firstly, the bad news: Tom Cleverley revealed during his Thursday media duties that Bradley Ibrahim had suffered an ankle injury in training, that will keep the midfielder out for ‘months, not weeks’.
Cleverley is, by now, rather used to injury setbacks, but while the news of Ibrahim’s enforced, lengthy absence – we all wish you well, Brad – was another huge downer, the Argyle Head Coach is hoping some light is emerging at the end of a long tunnel – or perhaps at the doorway of the hospital corridor.
Xavier Amaechi and Julio Pleguezuelo, both absentees for months, have taken part in training this week, and are earmarked for a return in the next couple of weeks, even if Saturday’s game at Port Vale might be too soon.
On the bus to Stoke-on-Trent, though, could be Joe Edwards, Joe Ralls and Ayman Benarous. All three have missed the last two games, with various niggling injuries, but all could be available to play some part at Vale Park.
“I think that's a huge boost for everyone, not just me, to see five senior, quality players back training,” said Cleverley. “Xav and Pleggy were introduced to training this week. They won't be available this weekend, but really good progress made by those. Joe, Ayman and Rallsy all look like they'll be fit to travel on Friday for Saturday's game.
“The freshness they bring, but also with the two Joes, the experience they bring, it's really important players we're getting back at an important time.
“It was a really optimistic week with those five guys coming back, and then we took a deflating one on a training session earlier in the week, where Bradley has got his studs caught in the ground, and he's had a bad ankle injury that involves the fibula as well. We'll take a surgical opinion on that, but Bradley will not be with us for months.
“I feel like the list is just never ending. But with those five players coming back, it does look a lot more positive.”
By the time 12.30pm rolls around on Saturday, Argyle will have been two weeks without a league game – the 3-1 defeat at Huddersfield Town - and 11 days since a late 1-0 loss at Bristol Rovers in the Vertu Trophy, where the Greens played basically the whole game with ten players.
Last weekend saw an international window, which Cleverley used to give his squad a small break, refreshing them for a huge run of fixtures ahead. Port Vale are, like Argyle, in poor form, and are 23rd, to Argyle’s 24th.
Cleverley said: “It's important. It's against someone who we're in direct competition with, right now. I think the effect that three points would have on my group moving forward is the most exciting thing. The confidence has been low, and to get that first three points in a while going into the next four games, three being at home, would be huge for us.
“There's many reasons why it's an important game for us. We've prepared well and we're ready for a big performance.
“It's not us escaping from the reality of our situation, but it is us reflecting on why we're in this situation and then us getting as fresh as we possibly can to attack a really important 10 games; six of them at home, which is somewhere that we've not played for a long time.
“In that period of time, we're getting five key players back very soon. That takes us into a transfer window as well, so the next 10 games are hugely important for us. and I wanted us to be as fresh as possible to attack that.
“[We want to see] some consistency in the defensive resilience we saw at Bristol Rovers. We saw a personality in the first half at Huddersfield to be really competitive at this level. We just need to put it all together to be a bit more complete.
“Now it's a big game, so it's not just the technical and tactical aspects. It'll be a lot of competing, matching intensities and doing the basics well that'll be important on Saturday.
“I think the hangover of not showing up in our local derby was a fairly long one. Now I can see that wearing off and I certainly hope this week we are ready to look forward again.”
