SWINDON Town could be without defenders Tom Clayton and Reece Devine for months after both suffered serious injuries in the pre-season friendly defeat to Swansea City at the weekend.

Clayton’s groin issue is not thought to be as severe as Devine’s hamstring problem, but the central defender could be out of action until mid-October, worst-case scenario.

Meanwhile, Devine has suffered a repeat of the hamstring problem that prevented him from taking part in the majority of last season, and manager Michael Flynn suggested the injury may require surgery to heal.

Discussing the fallout from the weekend’s behind-closed-doors clash with Michael Duff’s Championship contenders, Flynn was disappointed to share bad news on two of his defenders.

He said: “We had two injuries on Saturday, unfortunately.

“We’re waiting on the full report on Tom Clayton. It was very innocuous, but it could be anything between six and 12 weeks for him.

“I know that’s quite broad, it’s usually 10-12 weeks or four to six weeks, but it could be six to 12 at this stage.

“Reece Devine has had a really, really bad hamstring tear. I’m fearing a little bit for Reece because I think that’s going to need surgery.

“It’s a very tough time for him. He’s just been through that rehab, and when I was at Walsall, he was going through that same thing. He’s now got to do it all again having just come back.

“It’s going to be a real, real test of character for him, but the only thing we can do is be here and support him by showing our duty of care for the football club.”

Following a strong start to the previous campaign, Clayton’s season was interrupted by a hamstring injury in the 5-2 victory over Mansfield Town at Field Mill.

The 22-year-old could return for Swindon in just six weeks’ time, but that all depends on how the groin muscle is damaged, according to Flynn.

The Swindon boss said: “We’re just waiting for a second scan because Swansea were kind enough to ultrasound-scan both of them after the game as they have the facilities to do that.

“We’re just working on an MRI scan for Tom because we’re a little bit uncertain as to whether the muscle has come away from the bone or not.

“But if it has come away from the bone – I know it sounds worse – but it’s actually better because it reduces the rehabilitation time.”