Bolton Wanderers will be without right-back Gethin Jones for Saturday’s League One play-off semi-final first leg against Barnsley after he suffered a hamstring injury.
The 27-year-old will miss the rest of the season, after suffering a tear in their win over Bristol Rovers.
Barnsley will await the fitness of Mads Andersen, who has missed the last two games of the regular campaign.
The Dane still has a chance to be fit, according to boss Michael Duff.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Bolton boss Ian Evatt said: “Everyone is fine apart from Gethin. He has a 3B hamstring tear. It’s muscular. It’s not a tendon is normally better but at this stage of the season, it means that he will not participate in the play-off campaign.
“He will be back for pre-season. It’s a real shame for him, but he’s been fantastic this season, but we’ll rally behind him and make sure he gets the support he needs.
“Everyone is fine, which is great. Everything is working.”
Referring to Andersen’s prospects of an appearance at the University of Bolton Stadium, Duff told BBC Radio Sheffield it would be a late decision on his fitness.
“He has a chance, he hasn’t trained with the group yet, so it will be late. He’s a big part of what we want to do, but if he’s not fit, he’s not. out of shape,” Duff said. .
“A 50% fit Mads Andersen is not as good as a 100% fit one.”
“We come to a boil at the right time”
Bolton have already won at Wembley this season, beating eventual League One champions Plymouth Argyle in the Papa Johns Trophy final in April.
They face the Tykes ahead of a fourth and fifth meeting in all competitions this season, knowing they must overcome a formidable rival after Barnsley challenged for automatic promotion for much of the campaign.
“We are in good shape and in good spirits,” added Evatt.
“The team is coming to a boil at the right time and I see a lot of positives. Barnsley are a good team and it will be a tough game.
“We know each other a lot. By the end of the play-offs, we will have faced each other five times. We know exactly what is coming.
“I don’t feel any nervousness. I feel an unwavering determination to do well.
“When you’re in the band, it’s easy to control those nerves and just focus on what we’re trying to do.”
Duff is full of praise for Evatt and the job he has done at Bolton, but does not foresee a high-scoring affair across the Pennines.
“Ian has done a brilliant job with the progress they’ve made, he’s shown that sometimes you need a little time off because up until Christmas they weren’t doing particularly well,” Duff said.
“Obviously there was something wrong and he was able to weed out the dead wood and the issues, and they built and built because one thing they are is a huge football club.
“It’s going to be two close games. I can’t imagine any team not winning four or five zeros.
“We’re away from home first, so I imagine if it’s not a full house, close to a full house because it’s such a big stadium.
“It’s the games as a player, they get the juices flowing.”
