Collins a doubt for Wycombe clash, but Richards may start

The centre-half damaged medial ligaments in his knee just before half-time of Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Burton Albion, and it is unlikely he will recover in time to take on the Chairboys.

“Lee is going to be struggling,” said Cobblers boss Chris Wilder.

“He did a medial ligament when he took a big bang on Saturday, and that was the reason he came off at half-time.”

On the plus side, striker Marc Richards is being considered for a first start for the club since February.

The 18-goal top scorer has made substitute appearances in Town’s past three matches after undergoing an Achilles operation in March.

He wasn’t deemed fit enough to start at Burton, but after getting through 45 minutes at the Pirelli Stadium and then another full week’s training, manager Chris Wilder is hopeful he may be available for the Cobblers’ final game of the season.

“Marc will be in our thoughts this weekend,” said Wilder.

“He will have had another week’s training, but you have to take decisions as a manager, and you have to take advice, and the medical advice on Saturday was that Marc wasn’t ready.

“It is easy when things aren’t going well to keep players like Marc Richards on the pitch, and that means we would have kept him on for 65 or 70 minutes, and that would have been dangerous for the player.

“That would put him in a position that is pretty dangerous in terms of recurrence of injury.

“Marc is important though, and he will be in our thoughts to start on Saturday.”