Town's reserve keeper Keith Branagan faces a long lay-off after it was discovered that his shoulder injury is worse than thought. The Irishman had an exploratory operation last week and received bad news from his specialist.

Branagan said: "They put a camera inside the damaged area of the shoulder and it was discovered that a joint had been opened up and that there were many torn ligaments. The surgeon told me that he could operate, but it would be a very big operation and I would be out for a long, long time as a result. We're going to go down the treatment and rehabilitation path in the hope that it can get completely right that way."

The man once-capped by the Republic of Ireland hopes to get a couple of games under his belt by the end of the season, although that looks by no means certain. The keeper, who still has another year left on his contract, is philosophical about the situation: "It's all so very frustrating, but you just have to get on with it. Hopefully I can get away with it without having the major surgery. I know it will be a while before I start full training again."

Photo: Action Images

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