City's battling midfielder Jamie Lawrence is having a Gazza-style face mask constructed so he can return to first-team duty early.

Lawrence suffered a triple fracture of his cheekbone in a late-night incident following City's 2-1 win over Grimsby on January 25.

It was feared then that the Jamaican international would be out of action for two months.

Now there are hopes he will be able to return within weeks.

City chairman Gordon Gibb said: "Jamie has had a plate inserted. There are no problems with his level of fitness but this is a facial injury and the mask might speed up his return. It is a lot to do with confidence."

Lawrence said: "A few players have worn the mask. If it gets me back playing, that's great."

The chairman was

disappointed with the postponement of last night's game against Crystal Palace due to a frozen pitch, saying: "Leeds United had softened them up nicely. It would have been a good time to play them."

But Gibb has every confidence in his side ahead of Saturday's trip to Coventry City - even though Robert Molenaar is out for eight weeks with a calf problem.

"We seem to show better against higher-ranked opposition," he added.

The Molenaar situation is a big problem because David Wetherall, who came through a reserve match last week unscathed, is not yet ready to return to first-team duty.

"You cannot just throw David back in," said Gibb. "We are talking about a finely-tuned athlete. He is a valuable commodity on a long-term contract here. We will not gamble with him."