Crusaders set to be without key defender for 'four to six weeks'
Crusaders manager Declan Caddell is set to be without defender Jacob Blaney for another “four to six weeks” following an injury setback suffered earlier this month.
The 21-year-old impressed during his maiden Irish League campaign at Seaview last term, racking up 31 Premiership appearances as Caddell’s side secured a top-half finish.
His involvement this season has been limited with Blaney missing the opening three months due to injury and was then forced off after 33 minutes in their 4-0 defeat to Portadown on December 6.
Blaney has only started in two Premiership matches this term in what has been a major blow to Caddell, and there could be further bad news as Kurtis Forsythe went off injured in last weekend’s loss at Linfield.
"It's a bad one for us because Kurtis has been exceptional since he has came in,” Caddell told the club’s media channel. “It doesn't look great which is unfortunate.
"Jacob as well from last week, he's now going to be out four to six weeks with that one. It's tough, it has been tough from the start of the season in terms of bodies.
"We've young lads like Oli McCart, who has featured a bit more, Ryan Donnelly and Matthew Beattie. I thought Matthew did well when he came on for the last 10 minutes.
"That's what we have at the minute. You're hoping they'll all be back by January but there's a few who will now be out extra. We'll see the likes of Harry (Jewitt-White), Kieran (McKechnie) come back the early stages of January."
Crusaders slipped to 11th with Saturday’s defeat to the reigning champions their fourth league loss on the trot and it doesn’t get any easier with high-flying Larne visiting this weekend.
While acknowledging it’s a tough time for the club, Caddell insists there’s no other option but to fight and get themselves out of the situation.
"Results happen and you have to erase it from your memory, wipe it out of your head and move onto the next one,” he added. “That's done, as sore as it is, but we have to start prepping for Larne, that's the only thing we can do.
"We're caught in a bad position at the moment, there's no getting away from that, we're below the standards I set for this football club.
"The only way you get out of it is by rolling your sleeves up and working harder. It's a tough place at the minute but we just have to get on with it, that's the bottom line."