Holloway warns Swindon injury crisis is stretching depleted squad

Swindon Town manager Ian Holloway has warned that mounting injuries are placing excessive demands on his remaining players, while acknowledging pressure over the club's results. In comments reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Holloway told BBC Radio Wiltshire that he felt his position was vulnerable unless the team's form improved.

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Swindon sit 12th in League Two with three wins from eight matches and have gone three league games without a victory. Their 11 points include 10 earned at home and just one away. Holloway, who took charge almost two years ago, said the return was below what the team had wanted and that performances away from home needed to improve.

The manager described an injury situation unlike any he had previously encountered. Among the latest concerns, he said captain Ollie Clarke might not be available, Matty Virtue was not fit and Paul Glatzel was out after having fluid removed from his knee. Those updates add to a lengthy list of players already missing from the squad.

Louis Millard's availability also remained uncertain. Holloway said Millard had trained and appeared fit, but was still experiencing significant shoulder soreness. He put the number absent at 13 if Millard could not play, leaving only 15 available. Separately, Mitch Clark is serving a suspension following his dismissal against York, while Sam Inwood is away on international duty.

There are longer-term concerns as well. Midfielder Ben Middlemass needs surgery for a cartilage problem, with Holloway estimating an absence of at least eight weeks and possibly as many as 20. That range remains the manager's assessment rather than a fixed recovery timetable. The nature of full-back Joel McGregor's injury has not yet been established because he is still awaiting a specialist appointment.

Holloway said some injured players had already missed pre-season, complicating their route back, while those still involved were being asked to carry too much of the workload. He called for more support for the team and said he needed to advocate for what his players required. His comments combined concern about results with a warning that the squad's shortage of fit players was putting further strain on those available.