DORCHESTER Town manager Craig Laird has confirmed that defender Gary Bowles has suffered a broken ankle and is to miss the remainder of the season.

Bowles suffered the injury just over half an hour into the Magpies’ hard-fought 2-0 victory over Dunstable Town on Saturday, which was his first appearance back at the Avenue after re-signing for the club last Monday.

Early indications showed that the damage could have been done to his lower shin after a reckless challenge, and Laird expressed his sympathy for the experienced defender.

He said: “It leaves a bittersweet taste in the mouth. We get a great result and he was looking forward to playing at the club again. He’s a good lad from what I’ve seen of him so far, he’s keen and a good player and it just seems to be that Dorchester hoodoo that the injuries we pick up seem to be long term ones.

“They’re still assessing it. They’ve said it’s broken and then in the next week or so they’ll decide how to deal with it and how we move forward.

“I would have thought that is his season over with just two months to go, but we’ll find out the severity of it in the next couple of days when the swelling has gone down.

“We wish him all the best, and the club and I will do all that we can do for him. We’ll do our best to make sure he gets his rehab and comes back as soon as possible.

“It’s not just about the football, it’s his work as well and we have to consider that. He broke his ankle doing a job for Dorchester Town football club, the supporters, myself and his teammates so we have to make sure we do our best to look after him.”

With the club particularly short of experience within the squad, Laird also admitted he may have to look at the transfer market for cover in defence.

He said: “I think we’re going to have to try and bring in another centre-back, because we’re down to two now and if one of those gets injured then we really are up the creek without a paddle, so we need to try and sort out some cover in the next couple of days.”