Yahoo News Striker hopes to fire himself into Stoke City thinking but injury set-back for Andre Vidigal
Ryan Mmaee hopes to have taken a step back towards Steven Schumacher’s first team thinking with a goal on his first start back from injury – but Andre Vidigal limped out of his comeback game.
Mmaee, aged 26, has been in rehabilitation for most of the time since April due to hamstring and knee problems and his expected return in pre-season was derailed when he contracted tonsillitis.
But he was used from the bench in the Championship at Watford last weekend as he starts to build up minutes, and he got 45 minutes for the under-21s as the club played its first game back in the Central League at Clayton Wood on Tuesday afternoon.
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Vidigal was also back from a sore foot to start against Wrexham ,and there were also run-outs for senior midfielders Lewis Baker and Daniel Johnson, as well as Sol Sidibe. Meanwhile, 17-year-old centre-half Jaden Dixon, who made his professional debut last week, was named captain.
First team boss Schumacher was watching as Mmaee scored the opening goal – set up by Vidigal – having previously teed up a chance for summer signing Kieron Willox to hit the crossbar.
Stoke are now assessing Vidigal, however, after he was withdrawn two minutes into the second-half. The 26-year-old forward is yet to get on the pitch for a first team game this season having pulled out of the cup tie at Carlisle when he was scheduled to start due to the knock he picked up in training.
It was Jake Bickerstaff, a 22-year-old who spent the second half of last season on loan at Accrington Stanley, who secured the win for the visitors as he replied to Mmaee’s opener with a hat-trick of his own. Jack Griffiths pulled one back for Stoke in the final minute of a 3-2 defeat.
Schumacher and his medical team will now weigh up whether Mmaee should be included in the squad for Stoke’s league match at home against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (3pm) or if he could feature again for the 21s, who are at Manchester United in Premier League 2 on Friday night.
Stoke have received an allocation of 971 tickets for next Tuesday’s Carabao Cup second round tie at Middlesbrough (7.15pm). Tickets go on sale for £15, plus a £1 booking fee, on Wednesday to season card holders with 60 points or more, to season card holders tomorrow and general sale on Saturday. Official coach travel costs £29 and will leave the bet365 Stadium at 2pm.
