SWINDON Town and Jonathan Obika will be hoping the striker’s surgical assessment tomorrow will not diagnose the need for surgery.

The five-goal striker went off early in the Barnsley game at the weekend and the club announced yesterday he could be out for up to 12 weeks.

Though Andy Williams, another striker in form, will be able to slot seamlessly in during Obika’s absence, Town boss Mark Cooper has his fingers crossed that the former Tottenham man will not need to go under the knife.

“Jon’s got a surgical assessment in London tomorrow, then we’ll know whether he needs surgery or not,” said Cooper.

“If it doesn’t then that 12-week period is probably the maximum.

“We thought Ben Gladwin was going to be out for a lot longer and he wasn’t. Different injuries have different healing times, players heal differently, heal quicker. We’re hoping Jon’s assessment goes well tomorrow and he’s a quick healer.

“George Barker had one (a shoulder injury), he got brought off against Brighton. It must be something about the shoulders this year, we’ll have to get them on the weights won’t we?

“When you take those kind of goals out of the squad of course it’s a miss. It’s up to somebody else to step up now and show they can fill the void left by Jon.

“It’s never easy to replace players of the standard that we’ve lost. I go back to what I’ve said, the players are year wiser, a year older, and have got more games under their belt. I think that’s the reason why the squad has dealt with (absences) better.”

Obika’s injury could temporarily re-open the door to first-team involvement for Connor Waldon. Last week the club confirmed the 19-year-old had been made available for loan, but now, at least until a more senior replacement can be brought in, he will supplement the first team.

Asked about the effect of Obika’s injury on Waldon’s status, Cooper said: “It might change it in the short term, but not in the long term.”

In other injury news both Ben Gladwin and Raphael Branco could return in time for Leyton Orient on Saturday. Gladwin started the development fixture today and though Branco did not he is understood to be nearing a comeback.