Cobblers handed Holmes injury boost

And he says the return of the winger will be a ‘massive boost’ for his team.

Holmes suffered a back spasm in the warm up ahead of the match at Barnet on August 18 and there were fears he may have to undergo surgery.

But those anxieties have been allayed, with the former Portsmouth man having injections to treat the problem.

And he is now back in the swing of things, with his return to action edging ever closer.

“Ricky has started jogging,” Wilder said.

“He’s such a big player for us and the impact he had on the team in January was superb.

“We can’t expect too much too quickly but when he comes back that will be a massive, massive boost for us because I believe that when Ricky is right he is one of the stand out players in the division.

“It’s great for him to be back in full time training and I can’t wait to be able to call on him.”

Wilder knows he will have to be careful with Holmes to prevent his back problem flaring up.

And he is also hopeful on the fitness of four other first-team players.

Wilder said: “Ricky has still got a bit of away to go but it’s good that we didn’t have to go down the surgery route and fingers crossed he is improving every week.

“We are hopeful that we can get a game for Brendan Moloney and Evan Horwood in the next week or two because they need games now.

“Alfie Potter trained on Monday and Rod McDonald should be back training with the group towards the end of the week.”