Since the beginning of pre-season, Swindon have seen 21 players miss games through injury, and it remains possible that Stephan Negru makes that 22 this week after he rolled his ankle in training.

With Ian Holloway hoping to get reinforcements to help his current group, when can he expect them back?

Short term

Stephan Negru has played every game this season for Swindon Town

As mentioned, Negru rolled his ankle in training on Thursday, and is now a doubt to take on Walsall, with a decision yet to be taken on his condition.

Tom Nichols is also questionable to be involved after he limped out of training on Wednesday, although the specifics of his issue were not disclosed.

Sam Inwood will miss out this weekend with a glute injury, and Swindon are presently evaluating the severity of that issue.

Danny Butterworth is in a similar position, as the hamstring that he ruptured a year ago has felt tight this week. Town have nursed him back to fitness by slowly easing him into action, but this is a setback and he will not be risked until the cause of the tightness is discovered.

Medium term

Ryan Tafazolli broke his toe in September

Paul Glatzel has had a recurring knee injury all season, and the reason for that has now been revealed, with a loose piece of cartilage that will now be cut off in surgery, which will see him miss the next four weeks, and possibly return in the middle of November around the Grimsby Town and Newport County games.

Joel McGregor received good news from a specialist last week, which revealed he had not done any further damage to his ankle after falling down the stairs. He has been back out on the grass in the last two weeks, and should return in November.

Ryan Tafazolli was initially believed to have a bone bruise, but that has since been revealed to be a broken toe, which typically takes four to six weeks to heal, so he is also likely to be back in the middle of November.

Long term

Ben Middlemas had surgery on his knee

Ollie Palmer is said to be ahead of schedule rehabbing the ankle injury he suffered against Port Vale at the start of September. He was initially expected to be out for ten weeks, and so Town may expect to see him back from the London specialist he is at towards the end of November.

Ben Middlemas had to have surgery on a knee injury towards the end of September, and that could see him out for anywhere between eight and 20 weeks. If all things go well, he may be ready to return before the end of 2026, but he may also not return before February.

Fletcher Holman has joined McGregor in taking a smaller role in training as he has worked hard to get through his rehabilitation on the hamstring tear he suffered in pre-season. The forward could be fit in December, but he was not included in Town’s official squad with the EFL, and so will not be seen until January.

Gavin Kilkenny broke his ankle in pre-season, and, like Holman, was not registered with the EFL in the squad for the first half of the season. The initial expectation was that he would miss four or five months, which would also put him in line for a January return.

Harry Smith is with Palmer in London getting specialist attention on his recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in August 2025. Smith is on Town’s EFL squad list, but it remains unclear when he will be fit.