6:00am Tuesday 9th March 2010
By Marc Iles
GARY Cahill is on course to make a return to training in seven days’ time.
The Wanderers defender has been out of action since the end of January after discovering a blood clot in his arm.
But after undergoing corrective surgery to remedy the problem, Owen Coyle now believes he will be able to rejoin the squad after next weekend’s home game against Wigan Athletic.
“He’s doing a little bit of training himself at the moment but with no contact,” said the Wanderers boss, following his side’s 2-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday. “As we speak, we envisage him joining back in with the group after the Wigan game, in a week’s time, and we’ll take it from there and see what the progress is.
“We won’t really know until he comes back to full training and we’ll make a decision from there.”
Coyle also confirmed that the club are looking to tie down Stuart Holden to a longer contract at the Reebok. The US international is also on the sidelines after fracturing his leg in a friendly against Holland on Wednesday night, and could miss the next six weeks. But the Whites boss has seen enough of the 24-year-old midfielder in his first two games for the club to attempt to extend his deal, which is due to run out at the end of the season.
“When we signed Stuart, I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding,” he said. “It was to the end of the season with the option for next year, so we’re going to do that.”
Wanderers won away from home for the first time since September, and Owen Coyle for the first time as a Premier League manager, as Kevin Davies and Jack Wilshere supplied the goals at Upton Park.
But it came at a cost, with Tamir Cohen now missing tomorrow’s trip to Sunderland after being sent off for a second bookable offence. Davies claims the two goals, scored within the first 15 minutes, were just reward for recent improved form.
“I wasn’t aware how long it had been since we won away but we have been creating chances and not been putting them away. This time it worked out.
“We said before the start that the first goal would be important and that would give us a lot of confidence. And that had a negative effect on them.
“A lot has been made of us not scoring but we’ve not done too much differently. We’ve not quite had the rub of the green. “There has been some bad luck because we’ve been creating decent chances.”
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