Matt Bloomfield on Josh Scowen's injury and the return of Brandon Hanlan

Wycombe Wanderers manager Matt Bloomfield has described midfielder Josh Scowen ‘as a fighter’ following the club’s recent 2-1 victory over Crawley Town.

The 31-year-old, who has played 19 of the club’s 21 matches in all competitions this season, hobbled off as a second-half substitute in the win against their League One rivals on Tuesday night in the EFL Trophy.

He came on just after the hour mark for Ryan Tafazolli but was replaced moments before the clock struck 90 minutes after a collision with Tyreece John-Jules.

It has been confirmed he has ‘tweaked’ his knee, but the seriousness of the injury has not been disclosed.

Speaking at full-time, Bloomfield said: “It looks like he has tweaked his knee a bit in a block tackle so we’ll have to get it scanned and see how it is.

“He reminded me inside that he did it away at Blackpool last season, only to play at Wembley in the final a few days later.

“That’s Joshy – he’s a fighter.

“We’ll get it scanned, see how he is, and hopefully it’ll settle down quickly.”

The victory over the Red Devils means Wanderers topped their EFL Trophy group and have progressed into the next round for the second season in a row.

Last year’s finalists looked sharp against their League One opponents, with Bloomfield handing striker Brandon Hanlan his first start of the season following his recovery from an ACL injury.

It was his third appearance of the campaign, with the start occurring one year and a day after he ruptured his knee in a 1-0 home loss against Stevenage.

He marked the occasion with a well-taken finish after just five minutes to put the Chairboys ahead, with the strike being his first in a competitive fixture since October 2023.

Speaking on Hanlan’s comeback, Bloomfield said: “Brands is such a good guy.

“He works so hard and when he got injured last season, it was such a shame as that was the strongest, sharpest and fittest I had ever seen him.

“We need to be careful as we can’t expect him to be at those levels every day after a year out.

“He did show some promising signs against Wigan and to start him tonight [November 12], he got a great goal as it was a great finish.

“He got a bit between his teeth.

The good thing for Brands is that he has good competition around him this season which will feed him opportunities.

“We’re playing in a way that will hopefully get the best out of him.

“We have spoken a bit about evolving our style and I hope that Brandon will be able to feed that.

“He looks sharp but he will need time.”

Up next for Wycombe is Lincoln City away on November 23.

Their next home match is three days later, which is against Mansfield Town.