RYAN Mason is not expected to be fit to face Oldham Athletic this weekend as he continues to recover from a side strain.

The on-loan Tottenham midfielder, who has been plagued by injuries this season, was forced off after 17 minutes of Swindon Town’s 3-1 victory over Shrewsbury last weekend after suffering a muscle spasm and did not feature in the squad which earned a point at Walsall on Tuesday night.

Manager Mark Cooper is not anticipating a miracle cure ahead of tomorrow’s clash at the County Ground, but there is better news on the fitness of Jay McEveley, who is close to a comeback following a knee problem.

“Mason will struggle for Saturday and Jay McEveley has got a good chance of being fit,” Cooper said.

Meanwhile, Troy Archibald-Henville, Tijane Reis and Alex Smith all stepped up their respective recoveries from knee surgery with gametime in a development XI match against Birmingham City on Wednesday.

“We managed to play. Troy, Tijane, Alex Smith all got valuable minutes,” said Cooper. “It was a worthwhile exercise for us and they are a step closer to being involved now.

“Maybe one more (game is needed) for Troy and Tijane but they’re very close now.”

Town lost the game 3-1, while Cooper’s son Charlie lined up against his dad’s side.