Swindon Town are set to welcome back several key players for this weekend's League Two fixture against Crewe Alexandra at the County Ground. The returning faces provide a significant boost to a squad that has been ravaged by injuries and is searching for a first win in five league matches, having slipped to 13th place with 11 points from nine games.
Joe Snowdon has trained all week without pain and is available for selection, while Paul Glatzel is also in contention after having fluid drained from his knee. Louis Millard, who scored in a midweek under-21s victory, is back from a shoulder issue and came off the bench in stoppage time against Rochdale. Mitch Clark returns from suspension and Sam Inwood is back from international duty, adding further options for manager Ian Holloway.
Injury situation eases
The club's availability crisis, which saw nearly half the senior squad sidelined and only one fully fit substitute named for the 1-0 defeat at Rochdale, has improved considerably. Joseph Hungbo's knee scan revealed only a mild issue, and Joel McGregor is back on the grass after a positive specialist visit. However, Gavin Kilkenny, Fletcher Holman, Harry Smith, Ben Middlemas, and Ryan Tafazolli remain on the long-term injury list.
Holloway now faces welcome selection dilemmas after a period where he was forced to manage a threadbare group. He confirmed the scale of the disruption earlier this week. "He couldn’t lose anyone else, and so he played the final six minutes," Holloway said of the decision to use Hungbo at Rochdale despite the player's knee discomfort. The manager will have a far stronger bench to call upon against a Crewe side sitting third in the table and unbeaten this season.
Swindon's recent form shows the toll of their absences, with four losses and one draw in their last five games across all competitions. Top scorer Aaron Drinan, who has 22 goals this season, was among those struggling with a knock last time out. The team will need his firepower and the returning players' energy to halt their slide and improve a record of nine goals scored and 13 conceded. Fans can check the full squad list and the latest standings as the Robins prepare for a key home test. The match kicks off on Saturday.
