Cobblers pair set to make their return from injury

It's been over a month since Hall-Johnson last stepped foot on the pitch, his most recent appearance coming at Port Vale on August 10, while McCormack has only played 60 minutes for the Cobblers after going off with a hamstring problem on the opening day of the season.

Curle is keen to guard against rushing injured players back too soon and risking reinjury, so the two have had to bide their time and patiently work their way back to full fitness.

Both are now on the brink of a first-team return, though, and Curle revealed this week that one will play in a practise match on Tuesday afternoon.

"Two of them have had the clean bill of health to regain match fitness and now it's about following the protocol and them getting game-time on the training pitch and spending time on the training pitch," said Curle.

"That's about doing the football specifics that are required. We've got a game organised today (Tuesday) where one of the players will play and we're hoping to get 60 minutes out of him.

"Then it's a case of how they react to the games and how they react to training. What we don't want is to get someone free from injury and free from pain and then playing a game and that having a detrimental impact on the rest of their body.

"So we need to make sure they get training time and they get the metres into their legs in training and then they're able to give themselves the best opportunity to be available."