Glen Rea and Izzy Brown are ‘both closer’ to fitness ahead of Luton’s must-win relegation six-pointer at Hull City on Saturday, but Matty Pearson is unlikely to feature.
Midfielder Rea has been missing for four games with a thigh strain since pulling out of the warm-up at Leeds, while Chelsea loan playmaker Brown featured in the following 5-0 defeat to Reading, but has not been available since after injuring his Achilles.
Town now face two final games where six points would be certain to keep them in the Championship, so asked about the duo manager Nathan Jones said: “They’re both closer to being available than they were on Tuesday night so we will just have to see.
“Glen was a real pre-caution really, we gave him a little bit more time, probably could have pushed him back for Tuesday so we will see. At the minute, (I’ve) not made any selections yet.
“He will always be a miss. You always want him available. Our midfield has been very good. We probably missed him in the Reading game because we conceded a few but since then, we’ve only lost one in seven since we’ve come back.”
Usually ever-present centre-half Pearson has been missing for the last two matches with an ankle injury and for Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers was sat in the empty stands.
Jones said: “It would be very difficult for me to leave him out of the matchday squad. Matty hasn’t missed a minute of football since he’s come in, hasn’t missed a game.
“He rolled his ankle and we wouldn’t want to risk him with it because yes, we want to survive, but we don’t want to risk Matty’s long-term future in any way, so he’s just rolled it.
“(It’s a) s light tweak on his ankle ligaments so hopefully he can play some part, but it’s just not possible at the moment.
“The type of character he is, he hates missing out on anything really, especially as he feels he can help the cause and so on.
“He’s been a wonderful signing, he was brought in at the time where it was ironic really because we were one of the most fluent, attacking sides and then we went out and signed two centre-halves and I think eyebrows were raised but they were such a calibre that we knew, to play, we needed that platform and he’s been a wonderful, wonderful signing.”
