City's charge for automatic promotion in League Two was halted by a 1-0 defeat in Wiltshire on a night which saw Luke Hendrie and Harry Chapman pick up injuries.

Hendrie, who made his first league start since September with Halliday out with illness, injured his calf while winger Chapman suffered a 'serious' hamstring injury in the first half.

Hughes said: "Brad was ill. He travelled down and got here under his own steam. We hoped he'd be all right - he had sickness and diarrhoea and didn't eat or sleep for 12 hours last night (Monday) and I thought it was too much of a risk.

"Hopefully, it's just a 24-48 hour bug that he picked up and we did not want him mixing in the dressing room and couldn't afford that."

On the issues with Hendrie and Chapman, he continued: "It looks like he's pulled his calf (Hendrie), unfortunately. It was a risk, he has not had much game time and I thought he did really well in fairness and it was a late call.

"It is disappointing he has got an injury, Chappy as well. So we've lost a couple, but hopefully we will have the likes of Brad back at the weekend, maybe Vadaine (Oliver) as well.

"He (Chapman) has done his hamstring and was obviously trying to stop going into the hoardings. That's what has compromised him. Unfortunately, it looks quite a serious one."Wales international Williams headed home the only goal of the game eight minutes from time on a night when City lost for the first time in 12 matches since and lost ground on the likes of Stevenage and Northampton.

Hughes, reflecting on a first away loss since Boxing Day, said: "We can't dwell on this. It's a disappointment on the night.

"We can take things from it and learn from them. You don't want to get beaten by a goal which gets headed in, in the six-yard box, by the smallest player on the pitch. That needs addressing.

"But we will be ready to go again at the weekend and it's a huge match for us obviously and we need to be right where we need to be.

"It is the end of a fantastic run for us. One defeat in 12, which is decent by any standards. We should have extended it really in terms of some attempts on goal in the first half and really good opportunities that we have not taken, unfortunately.

"We talk about being clinical and making sure we take the chances we create. We were unable to do that in the first half. So you always worry when you have been in that situation.

"When you have allowed good chances to pass you by, you know - as an away side - the opposition will try and rectify the issues they were having against us in that first half and nullify our threat.

"I thought the goal was coming. But the half-time break came and Swindon were able to address some of the issues we were causing them.

"Credit to them, we did not create enough in the second period and at times we went a little bit too direct without really being strong in possession and building momentum and pressure."

Mark Hughes gives updates on Bradford City quartet Brad Halliday, Luke Hendrie, Harry Chapman and Vadaine Oliver