IT was not the news that U21 star Neil Taylor wanted to hear, but the results of a scan on his injured foot have shown up a problem with a small bone in the middle of the foot.
An initial x-ray failed to pick up the issue, but physio Ritson Lloyd was still unhappy with Neil's progress and sent him for a scan earlier this week, which revealed what is technically called a 'Lisfranc fracture'.
This is a fracture or dislocation of one of the joints in the midfoot, where a cluster of small bones forms an arch on top of the foot between the ankle and the toes.
Ritson reports that the specialist feels that it's not a serious as it might at first sound.
"Neil has been involved in plenty of different exercises over this past week, with few signs of discomfort," he said.
"The scan results are disappointing, but we feel it might only put back his recover by a few weeks.
"He has had his foot immobilised and he will have to wear a boot for a while to aid the bone's healing process.
"But overall though, he is not too far away; it's just that we will have to be patient for a little bit longer."
Lisfranc's injury is rare in sport and refers to the tarsometatarsal joints, where the long bones (tarsals) in the foot meet the smaller bones (metatarsals) of the toes.
Of his other charges, Ritson had better news concerning Marc Williams and Frank Sinclair.
"Both are itching to get back to training with the first team squad," he said.
"If the weather outside had been a bit better, then Marc certainly would have been allowed to step up his training schedule.
"But as things stand, I've kept them working indoors, just as a precaution.
"It looks as if Marc will actually return to the squad without having missed a game!"
With heavy snow still blanketing the pitches at Colliers Park and no midweek game now scheduled, manager Dean Saunders has given the senior players the weekend off.
Ritson (right) helps the injured Marc Williams at Alty
