EXETER City manager Gary Caldwell has confirmed that defender Johnly Yfeko will miss the rest of the season and fellow defender Jack Fitzwater is also unlikely to play again this campaign.
On-loan Rangers defender Yfeko, 21, suffered a hamstring injury in the Grecians’ 2-1 home defeat to Reading on October 22, which kept him out for an initial two months. He returned as a substitute at Wycombe on New Year’s Day, but then picked up another hamstring issue in the 3-1 FA Cup win over Oxford United on January 11.
Fitzwater, meanwhile, suffered his injury in the 3-1 home defeat to Blackpool on January 25, but while there is hope that he could be back before the season ends, it seems unlikely. And to complete a hat-trick of unwanted issues at centre half, captain Pierce Sweeney has suffered a setback in his return from a hip issue.
“Johnly is working with the physios, alongside Fitzy and Yanic (Wildschut), the longer-term injuries, and they all look like they will miss the season,” Caldwell said. “Fitzy might be able to get back for a few weeks of it, but Johnly will be the rest of the season and that is a big disappointment because he was a fantastic player at the start of the season for us.
“The two injuries he has had have been quite serious injuries and we have to get to the bottom of them and he has had a lot of work to do over the summer to continue his development as a player.
“Sweenz has been training, but he is kind of getting other issues within his hip, which he is getting looked at today. There are one or two niggly things and we are trying to get him up to speed to see what he can do between now and the end of the season.
