Charlie Colkett has returned to training, while Joel Tabiner and Matus Holicek are targeting returns ahead of the trip to Barrow in the middle of January.

That’s according to Assistant Manager Ryan Dicker, who says Colkett’s hamstring problem has resolved and Tabiner (foot) and Holicek (groin) are improving.

He also provided an update on Zac Williams (ankle), while Charlie Finney (calves), Jack Powell (knee) and Owen Lunt (back) remain sidelined for the foreseeable.

Dicker said: “Charlie Colkett is back in training with a view to being involved a week on Saturday (against Swindon).

“Joel Tabiner is waiting for a CT Scan within in the next day or two – if we get a positive result he will start to integrate back into training and we hope he could be available from January 20 against Barrow.

“Matus is back out running on the grass and we are looking at the 20th with him too.

“Zac Williams is going for a scan today (Thursday) to learn the extent of the injury he picked up at Newport. Until we get the results back, we will be unsure the length of his absence - hopefully it will be weeks not months.”

He added: “It will be a real bonus when we get some of them back; it will give us more options like we had earlier in the season.

“We haven’t had that lately because the bench has been full of scholars – we think they will be good players but sometimes you can ask too much, too early, and we don’t want to put too much pressure on them.”