The uncomfortable and often painful nature of Bristol City's 2021/22 season shows little sign of easing with Nigel Pearson facing fresh challenges on the injury front following the 2-0 defeat at Barnsley.
Pearson needs to find an answer to the Robins defensive issues, particularly on set-pieces, but his squad options are growing thinner with Alex Scott (ankle), Joe Williams (hamstring) and Antoine Semenyo (cramp) all leaving the field at Oakwell.
Bristol Live understands that there are no serious concerns over Semenyo's fitness meaning the striker should be fit to face West Brom on Saturday while Scott and Williams were being assessed at the Robins High Performance Centre on Wednesday.
Below is the full list of current first-team absentees with Pearson scheduled to hold his pre-match press conference on Thursday where a more detailed diagnosis should be provided for Scott and Williams.
Nathan Baker (Concussion)
Out since: November 28, 2021
Estimated return: TBC
The centre-back continues to recover from a second concussion and the expectation surrounding his immediate future remains the same, City will be surprised if he returns this season. Baker, who has been visiting the High Performance Centre just to keep some kind of contact with the club, has been seen publicly via the portal of Instagram, recently marrying fiancee Catherine.
Tomas Kalas (Knee/Groin)
Out since: March 5
Estimated return: TBC
The defender sustained a knock against Birmingham City 10 days ago, in the same week he suffered a groin injury at Nottingham Forest and Pearson has urged caution over when to reintroduce him to the first team due to the sheer volume of minutes he’s played. Tellingly he was left out of the Czech Republic squad for their World Cup qualifier against Sweden next week, indicating it’s more than a short-term problem.
Andy King (Hamstring)
Out since: January 22
Estimated return: Late April
The midfielder underwent a second hamstring operation at the end of January which puts his season in doubt, based on the first bout of surgery he had in October on the same injury. That took around 10 weeks before the veteran returned to first-team action and the idea of him returning next month is at the optimistic end of the scale.
Callum O’Dowda (Knee)
Out since: February 9
Estimated return: Late March
O’Dowda was taken off late in the 2-1 win over Reading after suffering a knee injury which Pearson declared last month would put him out for between 4-6 weeks. Assuming that timeline remains the same, although there’s been no indication as yet he’s back in training, O’Dowda could return during the international break, assuming he’s not selected for the Republic of Ireland, which seems unlikely.
Kasey Palmer (Knee)
Out since: February
Estimated return: April
The playmaker injured his knee in training, which assistant Curtis Fleming acknowledged at the start of February, albeit not outlining how serious it is. Palmer is expected to be back before the end of the season, however whether or not he can work his way back into Pearson’s thinking is a different matter altogether.
Alex Scott (Ankle)
Out since: March 15
Estimated return: TBC
Pearson is scheduled to hold his pre-match press conference ahead of West Brom on Thursday in which the Robins manager should be able to offer clarity on Scott’s situation. The midfielder was taken off 39 minutes into the 2-0 defeat at Barnsley after rolling his ankle which is one of those injuries that could be serious or the teenager will be able to shake it off and face the Baggies.
George Tanner (Hamstring)
Out since: December 30
Estimated return: Late March
Tanner travelled with the squad to Yorkshire but is on this list because Pearson admitted at Oakwell that the right-back is still a few weeks away from first-team contention following a second significant hamstring problem of the season. Taking that into consideration, the match at Bournemouth on April 2 looks a realistic target for the 22-year-old to make his return.
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Ryley Towler (Back)
Out since: March 1
Estimated return: March
Towler was taken off just before half-time during an Under-23 match in Cardiff earlier this month having only just returned to availability following a back problem. Pearson noted that week it was just a precautionary measure but the defender hasn’t featured in either of the U23 fixtures since, indicating the club are remaining cautious with the 19-year-old, at least in terms of putting him back into a match situation.
Joe Williams (Hamstring)
Out since: March 15
Estimated return: TBC
Pearson agreed with the summary that Williams’ withdrawal at Oakwell was “heartbreaking” as the all-action midfielder has now suffered three separate hamstring injuries this season and the logical expectation, especially given the fact City aren’t really competing for anything, would be for the midfielder to be shut down for the rest of the campaign and focus on recovering and getting back into contention for 2022/23.
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