Town Injury Blow

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 29/08/2003

PAUL Groves faces a double injury blow with midfielder Iain Anderson and striker Darren Mansaram both facing lengthy spells out. Anderson suffered a cartilage injury against Luton, and missed Monday's game with Wycombe, although he is already suspended for the next three games.

The former Preston winger, who has got off to a tremendous start with Grimsby since his summer move, faces two months out, and is joined in the treatment room by Mansaram. The Doncaster-born forward had a scan today on a potentially serious injury sustained in the mid-week reserve win over York and could also be out for a minimum of several weeks.

"The way it looks at the moment, unless we're fortunate, he could be out for two or three months," Paul Groves told the Grimsby Telegraph. "I'm no medical expert but we think he has torn the ligament from the bone near his groin - and that's not something that will heal in two or three weeks. We just have to wait and see."

Paul Groves has conceded that Dutch striker Laurens Ten Heuvel is on his way out of Blundell Park when his loan spell from Sheffield United comes to an end after the Peterborough game. The former Ajax frontman, who has still yet to score a goal in seven years of English football, has failed to impress during his loan spell to date and Groves has decided to use the money earmarked for Ten Heuvel's contract on another player.

"Originally it was a loan with a view to a permanent. For whatever reason the permanent will not happen and that's a disappointment," said Groves. "He looked promising in pre-season but it hasn't worked out and we have to move on and fill that spot. We now have the money that was going to Laurens still in the budget to fill the spot up front."

Town head to Bristol City tomorrow with eight first team players injured, suspended, or both: Stacy Coldicott, Alan Pouton, Darren Mansaram, Marcel Cas, Des Hamilton, Iain Anderson and Phil Jevons are all ruled out of the clash with the Robins.

However club captain John McDermott is expected to return from injury at right back whilst midfielder Chris Bolder will make his first start of the season in place of Des Hamilton.

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