Michael Flynn said that Swindon Town are in a better place than they were ten days ago in terms of their squad ahead of their trip to AFC Wimbledon.

Town were without seven senior players the last time they took to the field ten days ago against Accrington Stanley, with Sonny Hart, Jaxon Brown, and Anton Dworzak stepping up to fill the gaps on the bench.

Benn Ward, Tom Clayton, Tom Brewitt, Reece Devine, Tariq Uwakwe, Jake Cain, and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy were all out with injuries for the trip to Lancashire, however, Flynn had said before the game that he was hopeful of getting players back in time for the game against Johnnie Jackson’s men.

Speaking the day before Swindon’s visit to the Cherry Red Records Stadium, Flynn said that the squad was looking much healthier than they had for the previous few games, although was typically evasive around which players could be back.

He said: “There are a couple who are close to returning, the likes of Jake Cain, Brewitt, and Rushian; Clayton is back on the grass, as well.

“It is looking a lot more positive than it was a couple of weeks back.

“You will have to wait and see [if any of them are available for the game], I don’t want to give anything away, in terms of who could be available and who couldn’t for Wimbledon, but they are progressing well.”

Devine, Uwakwe, and Ward remain the three long-term absentees from the squad, and it will still be a while before there is any chance for the Burnley loanee to be involved in a matchday squad again, according to Flynn.

Ward started the opening league game of the season against Crewe Alexandra before having to be replaced at half-time with an injury, but after featuring in the opening three games of the season, has not been on the bench since the game against Walsall at the County Ground.

He said: “Benn is out, he has had surgery on a slight hernia, so Benn will be out now until probably a week before the transfer window opens.

“For now, we are unlikely to see him involved, it is as simple as that, and it is a frustrating one,

“It took two or three scans to identify it, but that is where we are at, even the loan players are going down with the injuries.”