WANDERERS will be without Kyle Dempsey for up to a month after it was revealed the midfielder had been playing with a fractured vertebrae in his back.

Dempsey picked up the injury back in August after a heavy challenge against Fleetwood and had played with painkilling injections for several weeks.

Scans over the international break have detected a fracture, which immediately rules him out of the forthcoming games against Northampton Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Charlton Athletic, plus the FA Cup meeting with Solihull Moors.

Ian Evatt confirmed this afternoon that the 28-year-old, who has been ever-present in League One this season, will miss at least the next three weeks as the injury heals properly.

“It is great credit to Kyle that he wanted to play on,” he said. “It shows what the players, the staff and the fans mean to him. This club has stood by him and it was his chance to repay some of that.

“He has done the best he possibly could in difficult circumstances, it should be celebrated.

“We know what the injury is now and we can at least clear it up with some clarity and move forwards.”

“On the back of all that we had Demps playing with that, Dion playing with his shoulder, we were the walking wounded,” he said. “Dion is a lot better now, though. He has recovered well.”

More to follow...