Chesterfield striker Marc Richards will be out for around a month with the ankle injury he sustained against Accrington last week.
The Spireites received the results of Richards' latest scan on Thursday and they revealed that the damage is not as bad as the club initially thought.
Richards scored his first goal for the Spireites with a glancing header against Stanley nine days ago, before later leaving the field on a stretcher.
It was feared the 30-year-old would join goalkeeper Tommy Lee and defender Nathan Smith as long-term casualties.
However, caretaker manager Tommy Wright told the club's official website: "We've had some good news on Marc, we've had his final scan back.
"There's no serious damage, it's just one ligament. But hopefully, it'll probably be three to four weeks, which is good news."
