Young midfielder Monty Patterson will undergo surgery on his dislocated ankle on Monday and is facing up to six months on the sidelines.
The New Zealand U23 and U20 international suffered the injury after coming on as a sub during the Town U21 side’s 2-1 win at Leeds on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old fell awkwardly and was treated for several minutes on the pitch before being stretchered off just after the hour mark.
He underwent a scan on Wednesday, which has confirmed that the injury isn’t as bad as initially feared, but will still mean the Auckland-born youngster will be out of action until early next year.