Shrewsbury Town injury round-up - Aaron Pierre 'not as bad as first feared'

But in the cross-border derby last week, defender Aaron Pierre picked up a hamstring injury in the first half. 

It meant the Salop defender - who has scored twice since boss Gareth Ainsworth came in as head coach - had to be taken off at half-time. 

He was replaced by Toto Nsiala, who did well in his absence. 

Morgan Feeney and Alex Gilliead also picked up injuries in the game against Phil Parkinson's side, with both players coming off. 

And speaking ahead of the trip to Charlton this weekend, Ainsworth has provided an update on the fitness of Pierre, Gilliead and Morgan Feeney. 

He said: "Aaron's not as bad as we first thought, which is great. 

"That was precaution taking him off.

"He felt something in the back of his leg when he kicked the ball forward. Usually, on a hamstring, it is in a sprint. But this was in a kick, so hopefully, he's going to be in and around it for the weekend.

"The positives were that he didn't come off straight away because that's usually a bad hamstring. 

"That's somebody who comes off. He said to me, 'Give me until half time' which indicates it was something he could play through with a little bit of rest.

"Aaron is a warrior. He'll play through anything for me. What we can't do is risk losing him long-term because that would be stupid. We'll make the right call on that one.

"So hopefully, he'll be involved, and we're right up there with availability.

"We've had the odd whack, twist, kick, bruise here and there. Same as every club this time of year coming out of that Christmas period.

"You're shattered as a manager. You're shattered as a player.

"But we gave them a couple of days off after the Leyton Orient game. And the boys repaid me. 

"I think the Huddersfield game being off may be a blessing, although we're going to have some congestion towards the end of the season. But it was well-timed.

"The physio team and the medical and sports science boys are doing a great job in the loading, keeping everything right and keeping everyone available."

The rest of the Shrewsbury team should be fit and available for the trip to south London.