Goalkeeping ace faces spell on sidelines after injury drama

By NICK SMITH

WITH repairs almost complete at the front end of the field, Winsford United's backbone has suffered a cruel break to give manager Dalton Steele more headaches in a busy week.

Saturday's home game with Radcliffe Borough was marred by a sickening injury to goalkeeper Andy Oakes, who missed his first game of the season against Leigh last night and looks set to be sidelined for at least a month.

The drama occurred in the 67th minute when Oakes threw himself at the feet of striker Tony Carroll to make a block which kept the Blues 1-0 ahead.

The young keeper, who was apparently being watched by scouts from Oldham Athletic, couldn't avoid the onrushing forward and after a heavy collision, lay motionless on the ground for more than 10 minutes.

As concern for Oakes's condition grew, both his manager and Blues director Mark Loveless wandered onto the pitch to check the situation.

The first half had seen Oakes recover from a blow on the head when challenging for a high cross, but this time he was out cold and unable to continue.

After he was stretchered off, the game continued against the worrying sight of an ambulance circling the Barton Stadium pitch.

Later reports confirmed that Oakes had torn muscles in his neck as well as being concussed and dislocating his finger.

This may now force Steele to bring in another new face to plug the gap between the posts.

He said: "When the ambulance came we feared the worst but it wasn't as bad as we first thought.

"He won't be playing in the short-term, though, and could be out for over a month. I'll be checking on him today but it looks like I'll be bringing a new keeper in for the weekend.

"Steve Roberts will be in as cover but he has other commitments. I've got someone lined up who I'll reveal when all the details are confirmed later in the week."

Once again, Steele was pleased with his team's performance in the face of adversity in the 2-2 draw with Radcliffe.

He said: "We scored two brilliant goals and now Nathan Peel and Winnie Steele are both fit we should be able to bomb on.

"There's not a lot you can do when you play 20 minutes without a keeper, but we still could have coped better with their attacks."

The Blues follow last night's clash with Leigh with another UniBond Premier away game this weekend at Bamber Bridge.

And the travelling continues on Tuesday, February 17, with a visit to Chorley in the fourth round of the UniBond League Challenge Cup.

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