Alex midfielder, Callum Ainley, is expected to be out for almost 12 weeks after undergoing surgery on his injured hamstring early this week.

The operation conducted in London was a success and after a period of recuperation, Ainley will embark on a rehab to get back as soon as possible.

Ainley suffered a grade 3 hamstring tear in the early minutes of our FA Cup tie at Cheltenham Town.

David Artell updated crewealex.net: “We felt Callum’s injury was serious early on. It is difficult to tell straight away - but when you cannot put any sufficient weight on your leg the day after and it’s a hamstring injury, then you know it is not a good day.

He added: “Our fears were confirmed and he has now had a successful operation on it. He will be expected to be out for 12-14 weeks, so a large chunk of time, but we will devise a plan for him and get him back stronger.”