Town will again be without skipper Jim Magilton when they face Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night at the City Ground (KO 7.45pm), while vice-captain Jason De Vos is rated as 50/50. Magilton is still considered a week away from fitness due to a slight tear to a thigh muscle.

De Vos received a heavy blow to the knee in the Osasuna friendly and hasn't trained since Saturday's home win against Gillingham. Royle says that no decision will be made until the day of the game: "We'll give him a fitness test tomorrow and see how he is. He's at best 50/50 but we haven't given up hope on him yet."

If De Vos fails to make it Drissa Diallo will move inside from right-back with Fabian Wilnis receiving a recall.

The Town manager says that new loan signing Tony Dinning may get a start: "He's got a chance. He's not played an awful lot of football. He's fitted in and is very comfortable around the place and in training, so I wouldn't have any problems starting him but there is a consideration as he hasn't played.

"I think the last game he played was against Leigh RMI which not great preparation for a Coca-Cola Championship match. Whether we pick him depends to some extent on Jason De Vos, as I don't want to have too many players with fitness problems on the field."

Royle says the former Stockport, Wolves and Wigan man's ability to play a number of positions will be useful, although he primarily sees him as a central midfielder: "He's versatile. He can play as a holding midfield player, an attacking midfielder and I've even seen him play very well as a right full-back.

"He's hungry, he's not had an awful lot of football in the last 12 months, he's been somewhat out of it a bit at Wigan, and he's desperate to play. He's a good age, 29, and he's a man with something to prove."

The Town manager says he first targeted Dinning four or five weeks ago but his loan request was turned down. However, a more recent call from the player's agent alerted him to his availability.

Royle has long been an admirer of former Town striker David Johnson, Forest's most potent weapon: "He's done well against us on the couple of times he's played against us since I've been here.

"He's a very lively character, he's a goalscorer at this level and all players like scoring against their own clubs. He's certainly enjoyed doing that; he scored a couple, not last season but the season before, and I think he scored here when they beat us. He's a pain in the backside quite honestly, but there's still a chance for him to get flu!"

Irish international Andy Reid is another player in the Forest line-up rated by the Town manager: "He's as good as any midfielder in this division and we know he has Premier admirers.

"I don't know what Forest's feeling is; whether they desperately want to keep him or they want the money. Either way, they're the winners, he's a very, very good player and I think he can play in the Premiership."

Forest currently have a central defensive crisis with Michael Dawson out having had a groin operation, Wes Morgan suspended and new signing Jon Olav Hjelde yet to receive international clearance after joining from Korean club Busan Icons.

On Saturday manager Joe Kinnear was forced to field 18-year-old James Perch alongside Chris Doig, a partnership which is expected to continue on Wednesday.

Veteran former England international Des Walker, who announced his retirement from playing over the summer, was re-registered last week and came on as a sub in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Wigan after Perch suffered a thigh injury which is not expected to sideline him for the Town match.

Another defender, John Thompson, has undergone surgery on a dislocated shoulder.

Summer signing Kris Commons has yet to make his debut for the Tricky Trees after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season.

Wednesday's referee is Alan Kaye from Wakefield. Kaye was the official in Sunday's game at the Britannia Stadium between Stoke and Wolves - won 2-1 by the home side - during which he showed three yellow cards.

Last season he booked 91 players and sent off three in 31 games. Kaye last refereed Town in the home game with Norwich in December 2003.

Squad: Davis, Price, Diallo, Wilnis, Richards, Mitchell, Barron, De Vos, Naylor, Horlock, Miller, Westlake, Dinning, Bent, Bowditch, Kuqi, Couñago.

Photo: Action Images

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