Source: FOOTYMAD
Portsmouth player resorts to oxygen chamber in desperation
David Nugent has found himself locked away in a capsule in a bid to be fit for tomorrow's home clash with Doncaster Rovers The Pompey striker has been sent for several sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy by Blues boss Steve Cotterill in an attempt to cure the knee injury that has kept the forward out of the club's past two games.Nugent picked up the problem in the recent win at Hull City and then aggravated it in training last week, which saw him miss the trip to Derby and the home clash with QPR on Tuesday night.But with his squad resources stretched to the limit, Cotterill has turned to a tried-and-trusted method of getting players back to fitness quicker and sent Nugent for sessions in an oxygen chamber. Cotterill explained: 'It's not any special treatment - I've used an oxygen chamber wherever I've been from Cheltenham to Stoke to Burnley.'It pumps pure oxygen around the body to speed the healing process.'It speeds up the healing time on everything - pulled hamstrings, pulled calves, dodgy knees, dodgy backs, shoulders and everything. 'We've used them wherever I've been.'Nuge has been in there and done three dives (a session in the oxygen chamber) this week.'While it's become more common in recent years to speed up a player's recovery from injury, Cotterill has long been an advocate of the technique.He said: 'It's something that is out there and available.'I've seen an injury that should take a month, take a couple of weeks - 100 per cent.'We've had success stories at all the clubs I've been at and I hope that will be the case here.'While Nugent is racing to be fit for the showdown, Greg Halford is in a similar position after suffering a lower-back injury in the 1-1 draw with QPR on Tuesday.And Cotterill admits that the lack of playing resources has left the squad close to being at crisis point.He said: 'I don't know if those two will be fit yet. We will have to see where we are with them.'We might have to leave it until Saturday to make a decision on them.'You always have to plan for them not being there so I have got some thoughts and some theories on how we deal with that one.'We're probably at that stage where we're in a crisis. But I knew this would be coming. It was always going to be the difficult thing.'
