BOTH Town skipper Jon Worthington and his deputy Nathan Clarke face surgery.

Worthington will have his right groin strengthened with the use of a mesh.

Fellow 23-year-old Clarke will have the cartilage in his right knee trimmed to remove a `flapping' piece.

It is that, rather than the injury to the same joint which had kept the centre-back out for 11 matches previously, which forced him off during last Saturday's 3-1 home win over Gillingham.

Worthington, who will have his operation on Monday, is set to be out for two to four weeks.

Clarke, who has yet to have his surgery date confirmed, faces four to six weeks on the sidelines.

Worthington had been due to see a second specialist on Monday, but after a previous examination was reviewed, it's been decided surgery is the best way forward.

It will be keyhole so as to avoid opening up a muscle which as twice been cut in the past to treat hernias.

"It's better both in terms of speed of recovery and cutting down the damage done," said physio Lee Martin.

"The point of entry will be near the belly button, so it's well away from the previous cuts, and all the work is done from behind the groin.

"The idea is to strengthen the whole area and it's an operation which had proved very successful for others."

On Clarke, Martin explained: "It's good news in the sense that it's not the previous injury recurring.

"Nathan had an MRI scan yesterday and it showed up the flapping piece of tissue.

"That can get trapped inside the joint and cause problems, so the repair is the best way forward.

"It's done by arthroscope, and should take place within a week, so we're optimistic about Nathan being back by April, if not before."

Mark Hudson (knee) is back in training but not fit enough for a recall.

And fellow midfielder Chris Brandon also remained in Huddersfield today.

He is not yet over the bug which forced his substitution against Gillingham.

He came off at half-time saying he felt lethergic, and was replaced by Matt Young.