Cardiff City have been handed a major injury boost ahead of Saturday's clash with Charlton Athletic, with defender Dylan Lawlor declared fit and available for selection. The young defender has made a quicker-than-expected recovery from the injury that has kept him out at the start of the season, and manager Brian Barry-Murphy confirmed on Thursday that he is now "good to go".
Lawlor returns to full training
Lawlor, one of Cardiff's standout performers during their promotion-winning campaign, trained fully this week alongside fellow defender Will Fish. However, Fish remains about a week away from a return, with Barry-Murphy saying the club will not take any chances with him.
"Dylan Lawlor will definitely be available. He's good to go," Barry-Murphy said. "Will Fish won't be available, he's probably another week behind Dylan, so we're not going to take any chances with Will. But Dylan, back fully fit and good to go."
No concerns over knee issue
The Cardiff boss said Lawlor has trained well and there is no issue with his knee, meaning he could potentially come straight back into the starting XI against Nathan Jones' side. Asked whether he would have any concerns about putting Lawlor straight back into the team, Barry-Murphy said: "No, I think he's trained really well."
"We'll see how he is today and tomorrow then make a decision based on who we feel is best to start this game. But he's fully fit, no issues with his knee whatsoever, and he looks great."
Colwill and Davies updates
The return of Lawlor comes as Cardiff continue to contend with a number of injury problems, although there was less positive news surrounding Rubin Colwill. The midfielder will miss Saturday's game with an ankle problem, with Barry-Murphy confirming that both Colwill and Isaak Davies are expected to return to training during the international break.
"Them two are quite similar, I think. We expect them to train in the middle of the international break, Rubin and Isaak," he said. Davies has been sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Colwill has missed Cardiff's recent fixtures with his ankle issue.
Chambers scan scheduled
There was also an update on Calum Chambers, who remains out with his own injury issue. The experienced defender is due to undergo a further scan on Thursday afternoon, with Cardiff hoping that will provide a clearer indication of his recovery timeline.
"Calum Chambers is having a further scan on his injury this afternoon, so we'll know more on the timescale with him this afternoon," Barry-Murphy said. Cardiff therefore head into the Charlton game with Lawlor back available, although Fish, Colwill, Davies and Chambers remain among those working their way back to fitness.
