Perth Glory defender Darryl Lachman is a chance to return next week after making strong early progress in his recovery from a scary head knock.
Lachman was left writhing in pain after clashing heads with Henry Hore late in the Glory's 2-1 A-League Men loss to Brisbane on Sunday.
The 33-year-old was bandaged up on the pitch to stop the bleeding, but he lost consciousness a few minutes after the collision when he tried to get up.
Lachman was taken to hospital in an ambulance, with a CT scan later clearing him of any damage to the brain.
The veteran, who required five stitches to his forehead, will miss Saturday's clash with Western United in Ballarat while under the concussion protocols.
But he's a chance to return for the March 10 match against Western Sydney at HBF Park.
"He's going well, which is great," Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich told reporters on Thursday.
"We were very lucky to escape so far any serious issues. All of his scans and results came back clear with nothing on the brain.
"I spoke to him yesterday just to touch base. He did an activation session and some controlled stuff that are within the (concussion) protocols.
"He's got a few stitches on his forehead and a pretty solid knock there. I've tried to remind him that the scar's not going to hurt his good looks too much.
"The nice thing is he's in good spirits, he's back moving.
"He's a big loss for us this week, but if all goes well with his concussion protocols, he'll come into contention for the next game."
Glory will also be without Ryan Williams this week after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season.
