Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham is likely to miss the final five games of the season with a back injury.
Beattie to miss out against Fulham, but Wilkinson could be fit
Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham is likely to miss the final five games of the season with a back injury.
Higginbotham is currently on crutches after hurting a disc in his back and he could require an operation.
He will miss Saturday's game against Fulham and Potters boss Tony Pulis fears the full-back will not return this term.
Pulis said: "Danny has hurt one of the discs in his back and could need an operation. We might have seen the last of him this season."
Blow
James Beattie will also sit out the trip to Craven Cottage with a thigh injury, but Andy Wilkinson has yet to be ruled out of the game.
"As for Beattie, he will not be fit for Fulham while there is a question mark over Wilkinson," added Pulis.
With striker Mamady Sidibe absent with a knee problem - Amdy Faye and Salif Diao are also injured - Pulis is short of options, especially up front.
"There's six players of the team that we've lost since the Middlesbrough game - it's a big blow for us as a football club," he said.
"We are going there with players we will miss, without a question of a doubt. We are very, very pleased to have 39 points on the board at the moment but we still feel as though we need a few more just to get over the line."
He added: "Beattie and Ricardo Fuller have looked a threat together, so it is a case of finding the right balance with Sidibe unavailable.
"Everyone wants to play in the team and it is a blow for us. The last thing you want at this time of year is injuries."
