Jim Goodwin has revealed that promising striker Owen Stirton left Glebe Park on crutches after suffering an ankle injury during Dundee United’s 3-0 victory over Brechin City.
Stirton, 18, was introduced at the interval but lasted just 15 minutes of the second half before being clipped as he battled for possession.
While the contact initially seemed rather innocuous, the Scotland U/19 international required several minutes of treatment before being replaced by Matthew Mudie.
And Goodwin now faces a nervous wait to learn the extent of the damage.
“The disappointment is Owen Stirton limping off with an ankle injury,” Goodwin told Courier Sport. “He will leave the stadium on crutches, unfortunately.
“We’ll need to get that scanned on Monday and hopefully the results aren’t too bad.
“It was just a coming together. The ball has got stuck under Owen’s foot a bit, which has invited the tackle. There’s no intent in it, whatsoever, but it’s just one of those things.
“Hopefully, it’s not too serious.”
Other absences
Jort van der Sande was a notable absentee in Angus, with Goodwin adding: “Jort has had a brilliant pre-season. He just felt a little tightness in his calf on Friday.
“The big man has come back in great shape and is looking great. I feel sorry for him that he missed out on the opportunity to play because he was working hard all last week.
“But that’s a precautionary one.”
Meanwhile, Sam Cleall-Harding and Miller Thomson, who didn’t feature against Brechin, are expected to resume full training next week.
Professional
United ultimately cruised to a 3-0 victory, with first-half goals from Ross Graham, Scott Constable and Harry Welsh doing the damage in front of a healthy travelling support.
“It’s all about the fitness exercise for us,” added Goodwin. “I thought we saw some good goals in the first half.
“We would have liked to have given the fans a bit more to cheer about in the second half but I thought the application was really good throughout; a really professional performance.”
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