Monday 22 September 2014 12:32, UK
Exeter have been rocked with the news that defender Pat Baldwin is unlikely to feature again this season.
The 31-year-old centre-back has made 88 appearances in his two years with the Grecians and become a crucial cog in Paul Tisdale's team. But he underwent knee surgery on Friday, having played through the pain during the opening weeks of the season, and will now spend a long spell on the sidelines. "The irony is we didn't think he was that bad and he played two games with his knee as it was because we needed him to," Tisdale told the Western Morning News. "I have to make that point - the fact that he carried on and played even though he was in a lot of pain or stiffness. "He felt compromised with his knee, but he carried on. Then as soon as Christian (Ribeiro) was fit and Matt Oakley had played a few games at centre-back, we scanned him and found out he needed an operation and he is going to be out for six to nine months." Tisdale does expect fellow defender Scot Bennett to return within the next two to three weeks after he limped off during their win at Cambridge on Tuesday.
