AS IF Town’s transformation from play-off long shots to possible relegation fodder wasn’t reason enough for supporters to fret, the start of April did little to soothe red and white nerves.

A Nicky Ajose strike - his ninth in as many games - at least partially stemmed the bleeding following the Easter thumpings by Wigan and Scunthorpe, earning Town a 1-1 home draw against fellow strugglers Fleetwood.

But the injury news scarcely improved, boss Luke Williams admitting that on-loan Lawrence Vigouroux’s ‘dead leg’ was worse than feared, with the goalkeeper suffering a blood clot on the muscle and a tear, blows that would subsequently rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.

An already unappetising Tuesday night trip to Oldham yielded no joy, Williams’ men slipping to a routine 2-0 win at the hands of the hosts to make it six matches without a win - but that result had paled largely into insignificance within 48 hours.

Drissa Traore, Jeremy Balmy and Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill were pictured on the social media service Periscope inhaling nitrous oxide gas, better known as ‘laughing gas’ or ‘hippy crack’.

The club subsequently suspended the trio and launched an internal investigation, confirming the players would not be picked to play whilst the process - which subsequently entailed a fine - was completed.

As he awaited his first win since earning a five-year contract, Williams launched an impassioned defence of his team’s style of play and recruitment policies, saying: “I think we have shown in the past that we have a way of recruiting that is normally a building process. We can see a fantastic result with developing players very quickly.”

Still, the results didn’t pick up, Billy Clarke’s goal saw them lose 1-0 at Bradford, before goalkeeper Tyrell Belford had also been ruled out for the season with a muscle tear as Town signed Norwich City’s Jake Kean on an emergency loan.

Not even the returns of strike duo Jonathan Obika and Nicky Ajose or a four-day break for half a dozen members of the squad could stem the tide at home to Bury.

Ajose contribution was recognised with a place in the Football Manager Team of the Season at The Football League Awards before a 1-1 draw at Walsall.

Off-field, the club were fined almost £23,000 for failing to fulfil its pension obligations, but League One safety was assured as Kasim’s strike downed Chesterfield to break Williams’ winning duck as full-time boss.

The future also looked promising, teenage midfielder Jake Evans agreeing a professional contract with the club, before 17-year-old Will Henry starred in the 2-2 draw at Rochdale, with a string of fine saves, including a penalty stop and 16-year-old Jordan Young scored in the 3-0 win over Shrewsbury Town.