Carlisle United will be without winger Jordan Jones in their crucial League Two match against Cheltenham Town.
The Blues’ EFL status is hanging by a thread as the fourth tier heads into its penultimate gameweek, with Mark Hughes’ side needing to better Tranmere Rovers‘ result against Crewe Alexandra to keep their battle against the drop going into the final match.
Jones Faces Setback – But Veteran Could Return
However, when United visit Whaddon Road on Saturday, they will be without winger Jordan Jones, who has started 17 games in the fourth tier this season. The 30-year-old is yet to get on the board for direct goal contributions and last played in a home draw with MK Dons at the end of March.
Former Bradford City boss Hughes confirmed the news to the Carlisle News and Star, saying:
“He’s had a setback, unfortunately. He just felt the injury again. He might settle down, he might be OK for the last game, but not for this weekend.”
Whilst the ex-Sunderland and Northern Irish international won’t be in the travelling party, one player could return in Paul Dummett. The former Newcastle full-back, who joined the club as a free agent in January, has featured just once for Carlisle due to a hamstring injury. Hughes added:
“Dummy’s been training for a while now, obviously there’s been absolutely no chance to get him game time beforehand, so as long as he keeps progressing, he could well figure.
“Circumstances dictate that more than his ability, which is there without any question. We’ll see how it goes.”
Other updates have revealed that club captain Sam Lavelle has been involved in training and Matt Dennis is ready following serving his red card suspension.
Writer’s View
Carlisle United are up against it and whilst he may not have had much of an impact this season, missing a forward option like Jordan Jones is less than ideal for this crunch tie. Whilst having Paul Dummett on the cusp of a return is a positive note, it is not an important return as they need to go all out in their final two games against Cheltenham and Salford City to give them any chance of repeating the heroics of Jimmy Glass 26 years later.
