Wellens facing selection crisis with Swindon down to 'very threadbare' squad for Cobblers fixture

Swindon Town manager Richie Wellens is facing something of a selection crisis for tonight's game against Northampton due to a combination of injuries and a frustrating end to the transfer window.

Jordan Lyden, Zeki Fryers, Paul Caddis, Ellis Iandolo and Dion Conroy are among those to have suffered recent injuries, leaving Wellens with just one fit striker - Sheffield United loanee Tyler Smith - and two fit central midfielders.

According to the Swindon Advertiser, the Robins were unable to bring in any further players since re-signing Dion Donohue on September 25, partly for financial reasons amid the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result, Wellens may have to change to a more pragmatic style of play to avoid getting cut adrift before January.

After beating Rochdale and Burton in a promising start to the season, Swindon have lost their last four games in all competitions and go into tonight's fixture following a 2-0 defeat to Sunderland.

Wellens said: “As a manager, you have a style of football and you want to try and get personnel that can fit into it.

“At the moment, I don’t think we’ve got that, so we’re going to have to batten down the hatches and try and nick enough wins to get to January.

“Hopefully, finances might have improved, the government help might have come, and supporters might be back – then we can have a real go.

“When you go up, you need to get your recruitment right, and it’s no fault of anybody’s, it’s just the situation that we’re in. I just think we’re two or three short, and if you look at the squad at the minute, it is very, very threadbare.”