The man whose goals shot down Bolton Wanderers in midweek has been struggling in the past few weeks with a knee injury.

But after a visit to a specialist, Akinfenwa has been given the green light to carry on playing.

The powerhouse number 10 has had more than his fair share of injury troubles – as well as the knee problem, he played at the Reebok Stadium with 12 stitches in a cut above his eye.

Now, though, Akinfenwa has been cleared to play, handing manager Stuart Gray a timely boost ahead of the trip to Birkenhead.

"Bayo has seen the specialist and he's been given the go-ahead to just carry on as normal," he said.

"So that's good news for us but Jason (Crowe) hasn't trained because he's got a bruised foot.

"We'll probably leave him to the last minute. Leon Constantine is pretty borderline for tomorrow and Colin Larkin has still got a bit of a niggle with his thigh.

"We need to be careful with him because the last thing I want is to have Colin on the treatment table for six weeks.

"It's about getting the right balance. I have to decide if we can manage at Tranmere without him or if it is worth risking him."

There is still no shortage of euphoria around Sixfields after the team's Carling Cup exploits.

It is a result nobody connected with the club will ever forget, but it has taken its toll on the players.

Ninety high-intensity minutes has sapped the energy levels, with the net result being a slight lightening of the load in training leading up to the game.

Gray says Tranmere has been the buzz word for his staff ever since the final whistle blew at the Reebok Stadium.

"It was a great setting to get a result and we'll never forget it," he said.

"But as soon as we stepped off the pitch we started to focus on Tranmere.

"That might sound boring but that's the way it is.

"We've got Tranmere and then Brighton so we've got a busy few days coming up."

The news that Akinfenwa is set to be fit is good news for Gray, with Constantine and Larkin likely not to be risked.

Ian Henderson and rookie Greg Taylor both gave good accounts of themselves as late substitutes at Bolton, though, and have strengthened their claims for future inclusion.


The Cobblers' trip Stockport County a week tomorrow has been postponed.
The game has been called off because of County's international call-ups.
No new date for the game has yet been arranged.