TOWN skipper Jon Worthington is a big doubt for Saturday's crunch League I home clash with away specialists Northampton.

The tough-tackling midfielder, right, is struggling to shake off a groin injury and is rated only 50-50 to face a team who are below 17th-placed Town in the table but have won four times and lost only once in 10 league games on their travels.

Galpharm boss Peter Jackson, whose side have netted only once in the last five games, has also revealed that striker Pawel Abbott, left, who is recovering from a double hernia operation, will not be fit enough to be considered.

With centre-back Martin McIntosh and midfielder Chris Brandon serving one-match bans, the question mark over Worthington is something the boss could certainly have done without.

"Worthy hasn't been able to train since coming off against Orient on Saturday, and while we'll keep working on him in the treatment room, we have to be prepared to go into Saturday's game without him," said Jackson, whose side will be chasing a first win in eight in all competitions.

Hernia surgery forced Worthington to miss eight games earlier in the season.

But Jackson stressed that his current injury is unconnected.

"Worthy suffered the strain in training during the latter part of last week," he explained.

"We thought he would be okay against Orient, but the problem was aggravated and we had to take him off at half-time."

On three-goal Abbott, unavailable for the last four games, Jackson commented: "Pav has been able to do some ballwork under (physio) Lee Martin's supervision.

"But he has not yet returned to full training, and Saturday's game will come too soon for him."