Shrewsbury summer signings step up recovery

O’Brien was an exciting addition when he arrived in the summer on a two-year deal, but he is yet to start for Salop in League One only making five appearances from the bench.

Both O’Brien and Dacosta have been struggling to shake off groin problems, but according to the boss, they are making progress and are close to rejoining their teammates.

“They are getting better,” said Cotterill. “They are back on the grass, which is a real benefit – they could be in and around the group soon.

“It is training time they need, and sometimes you can have them around the group, but they are not fit enough to play a game.

“But they might be fit enough for five minutes or 10 minutes, it is really time for them on the grass now.

“It has been a long time since they have been out there, so we just need to see where we are with them.”

When the game against Peterborough United was cancelled, Shrewsbury’s players were given some time off.

But the boss revealed the injured players have been in training as they needed it for their rehab.

“It is a real day by day one for us, they have not had time off,” Cotterill continued. “They have been in, simply because they needed to be. They can’t afford to have a few days off because the time for them, at the moment, is really, really important.

“So it has been a tougher, longer week for them, but then it has been tougher, longer weeks and months for the other boys who have been playing while those guys have not.

“It is not cruel to be kind, they have just needed to be in.”

Taylor Moore has been playing at right wing-back in recent weeks in the absence of Dacosta and Elliott Bennett – who is suffering from a calf problem. Bennett missed the start of the season with an ankle injury, but when he regained his fitness, he had a positive impact on his team, scoring an important goal at Portsmouth.

But unfortunately, he picked up a calf issue in the 1-1 draw against Oxford, and he has not featured since.

The initial prognosis suggested the 34-year-old could be out for 12 weeks, but there was hope from the player himself that he would be available before that. And Cotterill says Bennett is doing well too.

He said: “Elliott will be rescanned, that is one we have wanted to bring forward because we want to see how his progression is.

“He is doing well, so it is just time with these injuries because they have been big injuries.

“They take time, and not only do you have to get over the injury you have to get back fit, that is the problem, and that is why there is pre-season.”