Portsmouth handed big injury boost ahead of televised Charlton Athletic clash

Danny Cowley is hopeful of having both Tom Lowery and Joe Rafferty back in his squad for the Sky-televised trip to The Valley.

Rafferty has made exceptional progress after undergoing an operation on a stomach muscle injury.

The Scouser is back in training a couple of weeks on from going under the knife, to provide a shot in the arm for Cowley’s options.

And Lowery is expected to be available after recovering from a hamstring injury.

The former Crewe man has been missing for a month, since coming off in the 2-2 draw with Plymouth.

Cowley has been lifted by the news, with both players showing their value to his options before their stints on the sidelines.

He said: ‘Joe Rafferty is back on the grass training which is brilliant considering he’s only two weeks post op.

‘That’s a real positive for us.

‘Tom Lowery is back training as well, so hopefully they will both be available.

‘It’s really good news for us because they are two key players for us.’

With both players potentially back for Charlton, Cowley will have to decide the extent of their involvement against Ben Garner’s side.

Connor Ogilvie has been filling in at right-back with Zak Swanson and Kieron Freeman orthodox options for the position.

Meanwhile, Lowery will likely compete with Joe Morrell to play alongside Marlon Pack in the middle of the park.