NATHAN Thompson has been ruled out for up to a month after the right-back limped out of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to MK Dons.

Swindon Town boss Mark Cooper said at his pre-match press conference for Wolves yesterday that the 23-year-old could be out for up to four weeks with a groin strain.

The loss of Thompson has been made worse with the news that central defender Troy Archibald-Henville could also miss out against the League One leaders with a knee injury.

“(Nathan) he has got a groin strain so he won’t play,” Cooper said. “He could be out for anything from two, three or weeks.”

With Thompson and Archibald-Henville missing, Cooper is also without full-back Jamie Reckord as he is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Town’s defence is down to the bare bones and the County Ground chief is likely to ask Jay McEveley to play through the pain barrier once more.

“It is not ideal with his (Jay’s) knee but we have decision to make whether we play him or put square pegs in round holes,” Cooper said. “We will speak to Jay and make sure that he is 100 per cent right to play.”

The Town manager also praised how Nathan Byrne has bounced back from his disappointing start to the campaign to becoming one of the first names on his teamsheet.

“He has probably been our best player over the last month,” Cooper said. “He has taken a lot of criticism early on in the season and he has come back and been our best player.

“He took an awful lot of stick, he was the player everyone loved to hate, but now he is one of the first names on the teamsheet. He gives his all for club and those sorts of players need to be embraced.”