Fort await verdict on Campbell op

FORT FC boss Danny Conlon is set to discover the extent of the knee injury keeping number one keeper John Campbell on the sidelines.

The former Hibs youth keeper, who has missed Fort’s first three games this season, is vital to the team as they aim to progress under the new manager this season.

Campbell, who sustained the injury in May, could need an operation and Conlon told the LN: “John will be going for a private MRI scan at the Ross Hall Hospital in Glasgow on Friday.

“The scan will tell us the extent of the injury and whether he’ll need keyhole surgery. At a rough estimate, that would keep him out for anything from six weeks to two months.”

Conlon aims to bring in a replacement. Former Ross County youth keeper Michael McCallum has played in the last two games and could be in line for a deal, although he won’t be available for Saturday’s home Highland League game against Formartine United.

Spanish trialist Sergio Soto has finally gained international clearance and he could come into contention for this weekend.

Conlon, meanwhile, is wary of a Formartine backlash this weekend after Steve Paterson’s side, tipped by many as title challengers to Buckie Thistle this season, crashed 3-0 at home to Deveronvale on Saturday.

With a number of players unavailable through work commitments and injury, a young Fort side held out for more than an hour before Forres Mechanics ran out 4-0 winners on Saturday at Mosset Park.

The Fort manager, however, stressed that Fort’s resources compared to most clubs in the league should be considered more when people assess the results.

He explained: “When you look at the results of a few other clubs at the weekend who have far bigger squads and larger budgets than us then things need to be put into perspective.

“Formartine, who have spent a lot of money, were beaten 3-0 last weekend and it was a big day for them with sponsors there and they were looking for a strong result.

“I would be very surprised if Steve Paterson does not have Formartine well fired up for coming here. We’ll have a look towards the end of the week and see how we’re shaping up in terms of getting players back.”

Conlon praised his youngsters for coping well for most of the Forres clash.

He said: “We had six under-18s in the starting 11 and three under-18s on the bench, so it was always going to be difficult against a strong, physical team like Forres.

“We travelled with 16 players, but we had to leave Sean Ellis on the bench as we couldn’t risk him due to an ankle problem, while Michael Gillespie, another important player for us, had to be replaced by one of the younger lads after 20 minutes. He has a groin injury.”

He added: “We contained them for around 65 minutes, but in the end the younger players’ lack of fitness and lack of physical strength compared to Forres made the difference.

“At one point, we brought on a sub who is five-foot three, while they brought on a player at six-foot three or four, so that’s an example of how tough it was. All credit to them though, they applied themselves really well and never gave up.”