DYLAN Connolly aims to provide patched-up City with a timely boost as they look to extend their winning home run tomorrow.

The winger missed Saturday’s 2-1 triumph over Crawley with a tight calf but is in the running for a quick return for Port Vale’s visit to Valley Parade.

Connolly’s availability will give Gary Bowyer a much-needed option with Harry Pritchard doubtful with a back problem.

Read more: Simon Parker's verdict on City's win over Crawley

Pritchard had been forced off at half-time after firing the opening goal.

Bowyer said: “Not pushing Dylan for Saturday hopefully gives him that best opportunity.

“He just felt his calf and we looked after him a little bit, so we hope that’s not too serious.

“Pritch jarred his back in a challenge and the way he landed. Hopefully we can get him right.”

But City will be without Clayton Donaldson until the new year following an operation on Friday after rupturing the muscle tendon in his toe in the previous week’s win at Morecambe.

Danny Devine, scorer of City’s second goal, admitted: “It’s a massive blow. He’s been outstanding for us so far this season.

“We’ve got to take the workload off Vaughany now. Him and Remy (Aramide Oteh) are the only out-and-out strikers that we have.

“Everyone’s got to chip in and help. You can’t just depend on two players to keep scoring in case something happens to one of them.”

Oteh made his first league start at the weekend and impressed Bowyer playing in a wide role. The on-loan QPR forward also went close to scoring again.

Bowyer added: “You know it’s a big moment in the game. At 3-0 that would have been game over.

“You’ve seen many times instances like that and then they go down the other end and score to get back into it. But we stood up to that.

“Remy was asked to play a little bit out of position. He wants to play predominantly down the middle.

“But he can play out wide and he’s come on and done a job for us in the last couple of weeks and earned his start.

“Him and Zeli (Ismail) possess such a threat going forward for us but they also really put in a shift on the defensive side.”

Having beaten Swindon without Vaughan two weeks earlier, City rode Donaldson’s absence to make it four straight wins at Valley Parade despite Crawley having twice as many shots.

“What it does do is show you the value of the recruitment in the summer,” said Bowyer.

“It stretches us as the other injuries have. But that’s the importance of having that squad.

“People dress up statistics and make what they want of them. The most important stat at the end of the game is the scoreline.”