Injured players to be 'assessed' after trio go off with 'niggles' against Reading

Cobblers trio Louis Appéré, Akin Odimayo and captain Jon Guthrie will need to be ‘assessed’ by the club’s medical team after all three came off with potential injuries during Tuesday’s 3-1 victory over Reading.

Guthrie will be the biggest concern after he stayed down near the side of the pitch seemingly without anyone around him six minutes into the second half. He received some treatment from physio Michael Bolger but had to be replaced by Manny Monthé.

Bolger was back on the pitch 20 minutes later as both Odimayo and Appéré picked up knocks and made way for Harvey Lintott and Aaron McGowan. Jon Brady changed shape and his side saw the game out but he will be hoping for good news from the medical department ahead of Saturday’s game at Shrewsbury.

"We had to weather a few storms and we had to make some substitutions and change our shape a little bit,” said Brady. “We also lost certain players who have some niggles that we'll assess in the morning.

"We will take a look at them. Jon was feeling a little bit sore but it's too early and I can't speculate on it at the moment. We'll see.

"We just have to make sure we're ready for this tough period coming up because we’re going into the winter months and we need to keep everyone fit. If we can do that, it’ll be a huge bonus for us."

Appéré spoke to the media after the game and was confident he would be fit for the weekend, saying: "I'm OK. I just bashed my knee against the goalkeeper so I went down and needed a little break. I think I was coming off anyway but I just need to rest up and I'll be fine."