Midfielder Kelvin Etuhu has been dealt an injury blow following his first half departure from the Grimsby game on Monday afternoon.
Etuhu, 31 in May, has made 41 appearances in all competitions for the Blues this season and has become a key member of the team with his combative presence in the middle area of the pitch.
He went to ground with 26 minutes on the clock at Blundell Park, having felt discomfort in his hamstring, and scans have confirmed that he will now miss the remainder of the season, with a long recovery process to follow.
“It’s a huge blow for us and him because this could be a really long-term injury,” manager Steven Pressley explained. “He’s had a severe hamstring tear and it could see him not only miss the remainder of this season, but potentially the beginning of next season as well.
“That’s another real hammer blow for us at what is a crucial time of the campaign. It’s awful for him because I think this has been his most fruitful season at the club since he came here, certainly in terms of performances and also games played.
“He’s been a big payer and a big presence for us, so it’s a double hammer blow if it means that he does miss the start of the next season.”
“It looks like Jamie Devitt and Danny Grainger will miss out as well,” he added. “I think Danny has played his last game this season, and Jamie is in a situation where he certainly won’t make this weekend.
“It’ll be a case of waiting to see for the Yeovil game as well, as far as he’s concerned.”
“All we can do is try to find a way to deal with the present situation,” he continued. “It’s frustrating, but I think it’s showing signs of the gruelling season that we’re receiving as many injuries as we’ve been seeing.
“We don’t have the largest of squads at this moment in time but, again, it’s something that we’ll hopefully be able address moving forward. There are a number of things we can do to try to prevent this sort of situation, and all of that will go into the planning for pre-season.”
One positive for the manager was the return of striker Mark Cullen to the fray for the Grimsby game.
“I think Mark is a player we can use for 15 or 20 minutes maximum at this moment in time,” he said. “We’ve rushed him back, there’s no doubt about that.
“He’s back from rehab quicker than we would have expected, but we’re short of players and we needed to start pushing certain individuals, if we felt we could.
“He’s working hard and he was in doing additional work again yesterday. We’re trying to get him to a level, but it’s just too soon just now.”
