Butcher ruled out for 10 weeks

Last updated : 05 February 2004 By Gary Hutchinson
'Ricky' in action v Bournemouth
Workhorse midfielder Richard Butcher has been ruled out for up to 10 weeks
after suffering medial knee ligament damage in training.


The shattering news was confirmed when the 23-year-old ex Kettering Town player was examined by a specialist after going over on his knee in an incident training on Tuesday. Its not thought any other player was involved.

"It's a big blow because he's an important player to us," admitted City
manager Keith Alexander.

"He had it looked at by a specialist yesterday and he's been told it's going
to be eight to 10 weeks before he can think about coming back.

"It's tough for the lad because he's had an excellent season. But we've got
a decent sized squad and it means someone else will get a chance.

"At this point, I don't think we'll be looking to bring anyone else in,
we're just going to have to deal with the situation."

Butcher has been in fantastic form this season scoring seven times. However the last few weeks he has been blighted by injury. He picked up a dead leg at Boston on Boxing Day, and then suffered a thigh strain two weeks later which has caused him to miss four matches.