Cardiff City have been dealt yet another injury blow after manager Neil Harris revealed Lee Tomlin looks unlikely to be fit for this Friday's clash with Bristol City.
The Bluebirds did not need him on Tuesday night, having cruised past Barnsley with a resounding 3-0 victory, but Tomlin's absence was conspicuous.
And the manager explained the player was missing owing to another groin injury flare-up, which could keep him out of the Severnside derby and maybe even longer than that.
“I have talked about the importance of players that can change games and win games and what’s been missing," he said after the win over the Tykes.
“Obviously with Lee Tomlin not available to us now, we saw the importance of Robert Glatzel and Harry Wilson, two more players that can link the play and change the game in a moment.”
The manager added: “Lee wasn’t fit. It doesn’t look like he is going to be fit for Friday or the coming weeks so we’ll have to see what unfolds daily with Lee Tomlin.
“It’s just issues with the groin from playing just under 30 minutes the other day."
The manager rightly wanted the headlines to be about his players who performed so brilliantly on Tuesday night, but Tomlin's latest setback is a blow and is another in a mounting list for City.
Greg Cunningham will be absent for a few weeks yet, so, too, will Jordi Osei-Tutu. Joe Bennett has had to battle back from a hamstring injury and others, including Robert Glatzel and Josh Murphy, have had to recover from niggles so far this term.
Fortunately for the Bluebirds, following this game with the Robins on Friday they have a two-week international break in which they can get their squad fully fit once again.
