York City striker KO’d for season by cruciate damage (From York Press)

York City's Michael Coulson KO’d for season by cruciate damage

12:00pm Friday 2nd November 2012 in Sport By Steve Carroll, Sports reporter

MICHAEL COULSON will need surgery on the cruciate ligament injury which has ended his season.

The York City forward, who was stretchered off in the 1-0 victory at Accrington Stanley last month, got the news he feared following a meeting with a surgeon on Wednesday and will go under the knife in about three weeks once the swelling eases on his left knee.

Coulson, who had scored five goals for the Minstermen this season, was already ruled out until after Christmas following an initial scan which detected medial ligament and cartilage damage.

But a further scan has revealed the cruciate problem and is a huge blow to the 24-year-old, who has suffered the injury twice before when at Barnsley in 2008 and 2009.

“He’s going to have to have a reconstruction of his knee and his cruciate,” said manager Gary Mills. “That’s bad news for him, bad news for the team and bad news for the football club. He has done well for us this season but that’s the season gone for him.

“We are all sad and sorry that it has happened but we know it is part and parcel of the game we are in. He has been through it before and he will bounce back again. He has done the same leg before and he worked very, very hard over the last few years to get over that.

“He played a lot of games down at Grimsby, obviously played a lot of games here at the start of the season and it has happened again for him. It wasn’t a bad challenge, it was just something that happens.”

The City boss added: “He can’t have the operation until about three weeks’ time when the swelling goes down. Then it is just a case of rebuilding what needs to be done in there. Everybody in sport knows the cruciate is vital, it’s a nightmare that used to finish players years ago.

“The fact you can have that injury once and then do it again and still play shows how far we have come on. We are just hoping that whatever they do to him will be okay and it will enable him to get back for next season and resurrect his career again.

“You have to be tough, mentally strong, believe in yourself, be a positive person. He will have his up days and his days when he is feeling down.

“Scott Kerr has been there, and, the man that he is, he will help him over the next few months.

“It’s amazing how quickly seasons go. It will seem like a lifetime to Michael Coulson. But it will soon be round to next season and he will be back playing again.”

The injury has left Mills pondering whether to strengthen his side, but his midfield has been boosted after Danny Kearns’ loan deal from Peterborough was extended until the New Year. He is available to play in City’s FA Cup first round match against Wimbledon tomorrow.

“At the moment, we are okay,” the York chief said of potential transfer activity. “I think the front men are doing well but it is only another injury away and that changes. It may be time if the right player comes along.

“I’ve got a couple that we are looking at and it is ‘shall we, shan’t we bring them in?’ My front three at the moment are doing really well and sometimes it is hard to bring a player in and he knows he is probably not going to start.

“If the player comes he has got to be right and maybe someone who takes one of those players out, which would mean a major signing.

“We managed to get Danny for another couple of months until the beginning of January when the window opens. It’s great news. He has got better with each game. He was excellent at Southend.

“He is enjoying it. He is a bubbly character, a good player and we are delighted to have him again. Peterborough have given him permission to play in the FA Cup and that’s a massive bonus.”

Meanwhile, the York City youth team will travel to Northampton in the second round round of the FA Youth Cup after beating Chester 3-0 in the first round. Rob Moncur, Chris Dickinson and substitute Tom Chamberlain got the goals.