Bristol Rovers defender Alfie Kilgour could miss the rest of the season after his second knee surgery of the campaign.
Kilgour, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in 2016, went under the knife in November after limping off in the draw with Tranmere Rovers at the Mem. He would return to action against Hartlepool United in January, playing 90 minutes in the 2-0 win, but the 23-year-old suffered an adverse reaction to his knee in the following days.
Kilgour has not played since and manager Joey Barton confirmed ahead of Tuesday's trip to Crawley Town that Kilgour had undergone keyhole surgery after specialists had found the root cause of the issue.
The academy graduate, hopefully, can leave his injury problems in the past after a frustrating campaign limited to just 14 appearances to date, but he faces a race against time to play a further part in Rovers' promotion bid this term.
"Alf’s going to be out for pretty much the season," Barton said. "He went back in on his knee and there was a bit of floating cartilage in there that he had to get tidied up. He’s going to be out for between 6-12 weeks.
"Hopefully, he’s finally got to the bottom of it. We kept him going and he played 90 minutes in the Hartlepool game, albeit he had a funny turn and his knee didn’t settle down.
"He went to see a specialist, did a bit of rehabilitation, came back to training running and it didn’t settle down.
"He’s eventually required a bit of keyhole surgery, which seems to have got to the bottom of it, but there is a procedure you have to follow in your return to play. Hopefully, it’s sooner and he can be involved because he’s a top kid, he’s a Gashead and he’s disappointed at the minute, as is Josh Grant."
Grant – another player to have his season marred by injuries – also has a knee issue. The 23-year-old has been excellent in his 21 appearances, scoring three goals from defence, but his manager is having to make do without him for the time being.
"Josh is no nearer to completing the return from injury either," Barton added. "That’s rumbling on in the background, a little problem in his knee this time and he’s trying to get that settled.
"Hopefully, we can get them back involved, but at this moment in time, certainly with Alfie, it’s not been great news."
Connor Taylor was withdrawn at Newport at half time on Saturday due to an ankle complaint, Barton told reporters on Saturday, and is unclear whether he will be fit to face Crawley on Tuesday. Should Taylor be unavailable, James Connolly, Nick Anderton and Cian Harries are Barton's options in the centre of defence.
Barton added that Leon Clarke missed Saturday's trip to South Wales after picking up a groin injury in the win over Barrow last week, but the Rovers boss hopes the striker will only be briefly sidelined by the issue.
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