Danny Schofield looks to 'push Doncaster Rovers with kindness' and keep Joseph Olowu feeling involved after setback

The centre-back fractured his cheekbone and eye socket in early October but was on the verge of a first-team return when he collided with a team-mate in training, displacing the metal plate in his cheekbone and causing internal bleeding.

It is expected to be six more weeks before he can resume contact training.

It is hugely demoralising news for the 23-year-old, and coach Schofield is determined to look after but not mollycoddle him.

"It was just a collision with a player in an 11 v 11 session but he banged right on the area where the initial injury was," he explained.

"He's a really positive guy and we'll try to take the positives out of it. We'll give him a few days to be with his family over the Christmas period because he can't do much else and he'll come back in the new year and be back to work.

"Naturally you isolate yourself a little bit (when you are injured) because you don't feel part of the day-to-day working. But we always have the players in reflection meetings after games and we're always in contact to see how their rehabilitation is going on, they're always around the building.

"I've experienced it myself where you don't feel truly a part of it so it's something we're conscious of."

At the same time, Schofield recognises there still has to be a tough edge to what he tries to do.

"Football's a very demanding profession whether you're coaching or a player so it can't be too easy, too nice, it's got to be very demanding, but I think you can do that with positivity and emotional connections," he argued. "We try to understand the why behind their actions. You can demand and push with kindness."

There is some positive news, though, with Luke Molyneux available at Tranmere Rovers on Boxing Day after a week's training.

Aidan Barlow is back in training, though probably a week away from returning, whilst Ollie Younger has spent some time at St George's Park this week in his recovery from a ruptured hamstring.

Bobby Faulkner, on loan at Worksop Town, has had surgery on a broken jaw.