Hartlepool United INJURY UPDATE: Graeme Lee hopeful over Burton Albion midfielder while former Newcastle United defender to be assessed after return in Walsall defeat

Graeme Lee was handed a major boost at the weekend as Jamie Sterry, Reagan Ogle and Joe Grey all returned to the Pools squad.

It came after Lee was forced to shuffle his pack in recent games with injuries and suspensions building up amid a heavy fixture list throughout the month of February.

But Lee will still be keen to see progress with January recruit Morris who has missed each of the last two games after taking a knock on the ankle in the home draw with Sutton United.

Pools were left aggrieved when Morris was on the end of a heavy challenge in the second half which forced the 25-year-old to come off where he has not been seen since.

And Lee has revealed it is a slow process with the on-loan Burton Albion midfielder but he remains hopeful he can return to training this week ahead of Saturday's trip to Harrogate Town.

“He’s one of them that’s day-by-day,” Lee told The Mail.

“You’re checking it and managing him. He was rugby tackled against Sutton and the foul was given against Bryn. He rolled his ankle so he’s still got some bruising.

“He’s managing it and it’s settling and hopefully, fingers crossed, he can get himself back on the training pitch this week.”

Morris joins Zaine Francis-Angol and Jordan Cook in the treatment room after Francis-Angol was forced off during the win over Colchester United with a hamstring injury that kept him out of Saturday’s squad.

Meanwhile Cook has been dealing with a thigh injury picked up in the New Year’s Day draw with Oldham Athletic.

And it was a thigh injury which had kept Sterry out of action over the last week before his return to the starting XI at the Banks’s Stadium.

The fullback came through 90 minutes but Lee has suggested he will still need to assess the 26-year-old’s fitness.

“He was speaking to the physio after the game but he finished the game and he didn’t say anything,” said Lee.

“I think when he had a shot in the second half, with it being his thigh, he might have felt something so we’ll assess him.”

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