Hartlepool United defender Dan Dodds ruled out for "few weeks" following hamstring injury

The 24-year-old's rotten luck with injuries continued last week when he was forced off just eight minutes into the draw with Eastleigh holding his hamstring and the defender is now expected to spend another spell on the sidelines.

After making such a positive impression following his arrival from rivals Darlington in January 2023, Dodds has endured a torrid couple of years at the Prestige Group Stadium. The former Middlesbrough defender missed almost all of last season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury less than a month into the new campaign and suffered a hamstring strain that caused him to miss seven matches at the beginning of this term.

Since then, Dodds looks to have lost some of his confidence and has struggled to rediscover the form that saw him establish himself as a fan favourite at the start of his Pools career. The attack-minded full-back was sent off after steaming into a late challenge against Eastleigh in November and was substituted at half time during last month's draw with Tamworth after struggling in a back three. Dodds missed the next two matches through a concussion but was left out of the squad altogether for the game against York despite being available for selection. Having returned to the fold, Dodds trudged off less than 10 minutes into his first start in almost a month in Hampshire and now looks set for another spell on the treatment table.

"Dan Dodds obviously came off injured against Eastleigh," head coach Anthony Limbrick told BBC Radio Tees Sport.

"He has hurt his hamstring, he's unlikely for the weekend and we think it could be a few weeks for him. That's a shame because he'd just sort of got back into it after that concussion. He'll probably miss out unfortunately."