Matt Tootle is back for Shrewsbury Town

The former Crewe full-back hasn't played at first-team level since the 2-0 defeat at Port Vale on October 31, missing 23 games in all competitions.

Manager Micky Mellon claims the 25-year-old has been suffering from a long-term injury.

The Town boss said: "He's had an Achilles problem that's kept him out for a while now. But he's got a week to 10 days under his belt now without it coming back.

"I had a good chat with him yesterday morning and we're going to step him up.

"He's available and will be considered for first-team duties again, which is good because he's a good player. He says he's good to fire again, so that's brilliant.

"It's now up to me and him to get him playing well again."

Tootle has been flying into tackles in training and Mellon expects him to be back in contention quickly.

He continued: "I'd say he's about a week to 10 days away. He trained like a madman yesterday morning, which brought a smile to my face.

"People were complaining about his tackling and I'm quite happy about that."

Mellon revealed the nature of the injury has been a concern to Tootle.

He said: "I had to retire through an Achilles tendon injury – there's nothing you can do about it. You're told to rest, but you lose your fitness – then you try to train and it swells up."

Meanwhile, James Wallace is to have an injection to speed up his return. The midfielder has missed five games with a knee injury.

Mellon said: "It looks like he's going to have an injection that will move him along quickly."

But tomorrow's trip to Doncaster has come too soon for Tootle, Wallace and Jermaine Grandison (hip), who only did light training yesterday.

Sullay Kaikai is ready to start, however, with Mellon continuing: "He trained yesterday and he's good to go."