Peterborough United are likely to have defender Tom Lees back available from injury sooner than expected.
After picking up a calf injury last month at Bradford City, the Posh man was expected to be unavailable until the end of March at the earliest.
But Luke Williams has given a better-than-expected update on the progress of Lees, with his potential return date now a week earlier than first thought.
Impact
Signed on an unspecified contract length in the summer, the former Sheffield Wednesday stalwart has helped to shore up Posh’s backline. Peterborough can be glad that they have only played four times since Lees picked up that knock, having failed to win in his absence in League One this season.
In the four games that he had been missing from the matchday squad before facing the Bantams, they had lost every match. Recent draws against Exeter City and Northampton Town have slightly improved that, but not significantly. While their turnaround this season has been mainly down to the arrival of Williams, having Lees available for every league game would likely have Posh even further up the third-tier standings.
Speaking on his slightly unusual way of documenting injuries, the Peterborough boss gave an update on the fitness of the 35-year-old.
“The nearer the top of my table means the closer you are to being clear of injury and Tom has been moving up it every week. He is ahead of schedule, and no one is surprised at that. Tom is a true professional footballer 24 hours a day and seven days a week.”
Play-Off Hopes Hinge On Lees
It doesn’t feel like a particularly controversial statement to make that needing Lees available will likely determine if Peterborough finish inside the top six or not. In fairness, it might not matter anyway, with the side 14th in the third tier and nine points adrift of Huddersfield Town, who they do have a game in hand on. Having yet to play in March could prove beneficial, with two favourable matches on paper.
Peterborough face Leyton Orient and Rotherham United in the next few days, two teams that are both inside the bottom six. A maximum haul from those fixtures would provide a much-needed boost for a team four matches without a win, and face the very real prospect of their season petering out.
Winning both those matches is a very big if for a side that have yet to win without Lees, but if he can return to the side with their play-off hopes reignited, then that will be a considerable boost for the run-in.
