Already without eight first-team players for the visit of Luton, Nolan then lost midfielder Dean Campbell to an injury in the warm up before defende Joe Wormleighton went down after just 26 minutes. That meant both Cameron McGeehan and Kyle Edwards had to play far longer than originally planned.
"It's not ideal because we had planned and we had done all the work,” said Nolan. “Ethan (Wheatley) was struggling so we didn't want to take any unnecessary risks with him and that's why he started on the bench. Cam McGeehan did fantastic and that's what I have here – a good squad who are honest and hard working. Unfortunately they weren't quite themselves too many times and too often today so what we need to do is build up that confidence again and look forward to the next game and get back to winning ways.”
Here’s the state of every injured player currently in the treatment room at Sixfields…
9. Conor McCarthy (hamstring)
Minor hamstring strain against Doncaster. "I’m not expecting him to be out for long," said Nolan last Thursday. Photo: Pete Norton
10. Jack Burroughs (Achilles)
Hasn't been seen since September 23rd. Nolan said at the start of October: "Jack has just had a nagging problem with his Achilles. I've said to let it calm down and settle down. It's about making sure he's fit and ready to go." Photo: Pete Norton
11. Hoskins/Willis?
Both men were seen limping at the end of Saturday's game against Luton. Nolan will give an update later in the week Photo: Pete Norton