Several first team players have been forced to miss today's training session due to a virus which is sweeping through the playing camp.

Ryan Williams, Gary Mills, Luke Jones and Craig Armstrong have all been hit by the bug.

Manager David Holdsworth, though, remains optimistic that their departure will only be short-term.

He said: "We have a number of players out with illness at the moment, which is obviously worrying.

"There seems to be a bug going round the local area, and four of our players have caught it. We're hoping that they only have a mild form of the virus.

"They've been told to stay away, and have all seen their respective doctors. We can't have people spreading illnesses around the camp, that's all we need.

"All being told we have ten players struck down by illness and injury."

One such player, long-term absentee Kyle Nix, is looking to step up his recovery following an operation on an ankle injury sustained in October.  It is hoped that the central midfielder will be back in the fold by February 2010.

"Nix is back which is a positive, he's currently doing his rehab and recovery. It's nice to see the little man around Field Mill again," added Holdsworth.

"We're not setting a specific target for his return, we need to allow him to recover properly before putting him in the mix.

"If you set a date [for his return] now, you're likely to be disappointed. You have to be careful in the management of an injury like Kyle's."