Easton pushing for Gulls return

Torquay boss Martin Ling could welcome Craig Easton back ahead of their trip to Rotherham.

The midfielder has been absent with a groin strain recently but is expected to fit for the visit to South Yorkshire. Lloyd Macklin has resumed training following a knee injury but the weekend is likely to come too soon for the winger. Saul Halpin will know after another week's work whether he will escape surgery for a crack in an ankle bone. Scans have revealed the fracture, but if it continues to mend under progressive exercise, Halpin could avoid having an operation to pin it. Ling has warned striker Rene Howe that he could spoil his flying start to the season if he fails to improve his disciplinary record. Howe has scored three times in the Gulls' first five matches, but he's also received yellow cards in the last three matches and is only two away from an automatic one-game ban.