Thursday 23 January 2014 11:13, UK
Fleetwood have confirmed midfielder Jeff Hughes faces a long spell on the sidelines after he fractured his fibula.
The 28-year-old was the victim of a tackle from Jordan Richards, which earned the Hartlepool a player a straight red card in the opening stages of the League Two fixture last weekend. Pools boss Colin Cooper was so angry he would not speak to the media immediately after the clash and the worst has now been confirmed for Hughes. "Jeff suffered a bad tackle on Saturday against Hartlepool United and he had to leave the stadium after the game on crutches and in a medical boot," Fleetwood physio Luke Bussey told the club's official website. "Jeff has since had an X-ray which has shown that he has a fracture in the left fibula. "Jeff is disappointed but he is very realistic about things because this is football and sometimes it does happen. "We will take the right course of action now for Jeff and we will try and get him back out playing football as soon as possible."