TOMMY MOONEY heads Town's growing list of casualties and manager Andy King has said two loan signings are an absolute necessity as he prepares his squad for the visit of Portsmouth tomorrow night.

King's men ended their mini tour of Devon with a 3-2 win at Torquay United last night but ice packs were the order of the day on the team bus as the travelling party made its way back to the County Ground this afternoon.

The Town boss said: "The two loans I've talked about are a must.

"There is no doubt in my mind about that at all.

"I simply don't have the numbers necessary to be comfortable if several players are nursing injuries."

Mooney, 31, is the major worry and the former Birmingham City man was taken to Torbay General Hospital yesterday for a precautionary x-ray after complaining of pain in his right foot.

He picked up the injury on Monday but thought he would be able to run it off in the 6-1 win over Bideford.

However, the discomfort grew steadily worse and a trip to the hospital was the inevitable result.

He played no part in the match against Torquay United last night and is extremely doubtful for the visit of Portsmouth tomorrow.

Tuesday's match against Manchester United at the County Ground may also come a little too soon for the player.

Although fully accepting the fact that it was not worth aggravating the knock, there was no hiding the striker's frustration.

He said: "It's very, very disappointing to be missing games during pre-season but you have to look at the bigger picture.

"The key is to be in the best possible shape for the match against Sheffield Wednesday on August 9."

Physio Dick Mackey hopes Mooney's absence from the side will be a temporary one.

He said: "I decided it was sensible to take Tommy for an x-ray because the foot is a pretty complex structure and it is not unheard of for a player to break one of the many bones in the foot and perhaps not realise it.

"The diagnosis was a soft tissue injury, so it's a relief to know that no bones have been broken.

"In a week's time I would hope we would have him running again but in the meantime we will be able to do a bit of work in the pool."

Sadly for Mackey, Mooney is not the only patient on his Devon treatment table.

Skipper Andy Gurney is battling to shake off a thigh strain and Matty Hewlett has a groin strain.

But on the whole Mackey is pretty happy with the state of the squad at this stage of pre-season.

He said: "It has been a tough schedule for the lads with a lot of games in a limited time frame.

"For the most part the lads are fit, healthy and in good spirits."

However, Mooney, Gurney and Hewlett is not alone in needing to book an appointment in Mackey's treatment room on his return to Wiltshire.

Steve Robinson hobbled out of the win at Torquay with a hamstring strain, Alan Reeves has a strained calf while Adi Viveash has joined Andy Gurney in the thigh strain club. And last but not least, Stefani Miglioranzi received a whack on the shin.

King said: "It just proves how things can change very, very quickly. Matters over which you have no control can suddenly cause you a major headache."