Ryan Tafazolli could be missing from Swindon Town action for weeks or months after suffering a bone bruise on his foot.
Tafazolli has completed 90 minutes for Swindon once so far this season, as Ian Holloway has looked to manage him back from a pre-season disrupted by a calf problem.
He was slowly progressed through the opening matches, but was needed for the full 90 at Oldham before coming off against Port Vale.
Since then, he has been dealing with a swollen toe, and that has seen him miss out on the last three matches as he looks to reduce the pain.
There was hope that he might be back in time for the trip to Salford City, but that did not come to pass, but the belief is now that he is on track for Accrington Stanley this weekend.
However, the situation is now far less clear, as it has been discovered that he could be missing for longer than was initially hoped.
He said: “He has got a bone bruise around his toe joint, so it could be months [before he is back], but hopefully it will be weeks. Jack Thomson had one of these and he was out for two months.
“He was injured last year with a broken arm and broken ribs, so what has that got to do with somebody stamping on his foot?”
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Joe Snowdon has endured a disrupted summer, dealing with hamstring and then groin issues for much of pre-season before finally coming back to action at Oldham Athletic.
He was one of a number of players being managed through the opening weeks of the season, but picked up another groin problem after York City, and missed out on both games last week.
Ben Middlemas has been struggling with a knee problem, and that saw him miss out on the squad at the Peninsula Stadium.
Ollie Palmer joined the list of long-term absentees after his ankle came out of its socket against Port Vale, and his recovery is expected to last around ten weeks.
He is now part of the club with Joel McGregor, whose own ankle problem has seen him miss the last two months, Harry Smith, who is still recovering from his anterior cruciate ligament rupture from a year ago, and Gavin Kilkenny and Fletcher Holman, who suffered serious injuries in pre-season.
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