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Cooky has an ankle ligament injury and has said this week that if the Clarets weren’t to offer him a new contract then his Football League career would be over. He certainly has no chance of playing in any of the remaining eight games.
Ian Cox is recovering well from yet another achilles injury whilst Driss Diallo is also suffering with a dreaded hamstring injury. Neither of them will play against Watford.
Glen Little has been busy playing elsewhere tonight, looking strange in a blue and white hooped shirt with a number 16 on the back and he will also have to be replaced.
Stretch and Payts are also carrying injuries and neither are expected to feature although the good news is that with the transfer deadline having passed we cannot loan out any more of our players.
We will line up against Watford (in 4-4-2): Marlon Beresford, Dean West, Steve Davis, Mark McGregor, Graham Branch, Ian Moore, Paul Weller, Tony Grant, Lee Briscoe, Robbie Blake, Gareth Taylor.
As for the subs, three of the places will be taken by Nik Michopoulos, Arthur Gnohere and Dimitri Papadopoulos whilst the other two places will go to the younger players. The three outstanding players in Wednesday’s reserve team win were Richard Chaplow, Damien Hindle and Matthew O’Neill and it would be no surprise to see the other two sub places taken by two of those three.
As for Watford it is difficult to know just what their line up will be with manager Ray Lewington set to rest players in this game and also their game at Crystal Palace on Tuesday as they prepare for next weekend’s semi-final.
We do though know that Marcus Gayle and Heidar Helguson will both be out with injuries, the former is doubtful for the cup tie.
Lewington has said that loan player Michael Chopra and Allan Nielsen are both fit and both will play at the Turf. As for the rest of the line up he said they would mix it up.
Watford will select from: Alec Chamberlain, Neil Cox, Sean Dyche, Wayne Brown, Paul Robinson, Gavin Mahon, Stephen Glass, Paolo Vernazza, Neal Ardley, Tommy Smith, Michael Chopra, Allan Nielsen, Richard Lee, Jamie Hand, Gifton Noel-Williams, Jason Norville, Lee Cook.