Devastating injury blow for Hartlepool United

Luke George and Nicky Featherstone both face a month-plus out through injury

Hartlepool United have suffered a double hammer blow with the loss of Nicky Featherstone and Luke George.

The club announced ahead of today's vital match with Macclesfield that the midfielders have both been ruled out with injury for December.

Scans revealed Featherstone suffered a fractured fibula in the 3-0 defeat at Ebbsfleet and will be missing for four to six weeks.

George, meanwhile, pulled a hamstring in training and expected to be out for up to a month.

It is a massive setback for boss Craig Harrison to be without two key mid fielders ahead of a vital period of matches.

Featherstone has proved to be one of the star performers this season, making the team tick from his deep-lying role.

The 28-year-old missed the start of the campaign after a double hernia op in the close-season but his return signalled an upturn in the team's form.

He took a kick in the defeat at Stonebridge Road when he broke uo a Reds attack and played on for 10 minutes.

George arrived in the summer from Chester with a reputation as a tough-tackling midfielder but missed the opening two months opf the season through injury.