Huddersfield Town winger Anthony Pilkington will today put his career in the hands of the same surgeon who operated on Alan Smith and Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia.
Pilkington was substituted during Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Rochdale and has since been diagnosed with a dislocated left ankle and a break to the fibula above the ankle.
He will go under the surgeon’s knife this morning but his season is certainly over and he will face a race to be back in 2011.
His surgeon, Dr Ashok Paul is well-respected in footballing circles and treated similar injuries on former Leeds United striker Smith and Valencia. The Manchester United winger was injured in a Champions League tie against Rangers on September 14 and has only just returned to first-team training after seven months out.
Pilkington’s ankle was reset on Tuesday after the match at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, but Town are refusing to speculate on how long the winger will be sidelined.
The injury left some other players reduced to tears, but manager Lee Clark praised their professionalism in completing a 2-1 win which cut the gap on second-placed Bournemouth in League One.
Clark said: “We are a big family here and the lads are distraught for Anthony.
“We were all very emotional and I was pleased at how hard the lads dug in and put everything to the side and picked up all three points.
“They have seen a good friend – an important part of our team – pick up an horrific injury and it has took the gloss of the night really.”
Sheffield Wednesday will monitor the fitness of top scorer Gary Madine and midfielder Giles Coke ahead of Saturday’s visit of Notts County to Hillsborough.
Madine had to be substituted after just 18 minutes at Oldham on Tuesday night after picking up a slight calf strain, while Coke was left out with a hamstring strain.
Owls boss Gary Megson said: “He (Madine) was feeling his calf and it’s too early to tell whether he will be fit for Saturday.
“It was a shame he picked up the injury because I thought he was having a good game and was giving Oldham problems.”
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