Rotherham United wait on Joe Mattock injury

The left-back, who is expected to sign a new contract this week, suffered the problem in the warm-up at Bloomfield Road and withdrew before kick-off.

It did not turn out too problematic for the Millers as his replacement Clark Robertson bagged an assist and the decisive goal in a 2-1 win at his former club.

Boss Paul Warne was not willing to risk Mattock and possibly make the injury worse.

“He came in after the warm-up and I did not know there was an issue until the physio pulled me and said, 'He's got a little bit of a problem with his quad',” Warne explained.

“So I spoke to him and said how is it and he said he could run and be all right.

“I said if he could do a full-out sprint as in fairness he was playing against their best attacking threat and he said, 'Well I am not sure, my quad could go.'

“I am a pretty zero-risk manager when it comes to that and I do not want him out for six weeks.

"Obviously, I put Robbo in and he has been struggling a little bit lately with a groin.

“He said he felt fine and Billy (Jones) was my 19th man and came into the squad. I have been harping onto the lads after the game about it being a squad game.”

Matt Crooks was unable to complete the game on the Fylde Coast as a pre-match illness and ankle knock finally caught up with the midfielder.

Warne added: “He has been ill for a couple of days before Blackpool and didn't feel a million dollars.

"He was just at the end of his physical tether. He'd had the trots and had been a bit poorly, then he had a crack on his ankle.

"In the end, physically he couldn't give any more, and that's fair enough."

Kyle Vassell's imminent return from a hamstring injury means that only Adam Thompson remains of the long-term absentees.

The former Bury defender, who is yet to feature for the Millers, is back training on the grass.

"He feels pain now only when he kicks the ball in a certain kind of way," Warne said of his centre-half's leg injury.

“All his running is fine and all his multi-directional stuff is fine too."