Former Hartlepool United youngster Louis Stephenson suffered a serious knee injury playing for new club Spennymoor Town.

Former Hartlepool United defender Louis Stephenson is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a serious knee injury during Spennymoor Town’s pre-season friendly with Bishop Auckland.

The Pools academy product joined the National League North club last month after his contract at Victoria Park came to an end and quickly set his sights on making a major impact working under Tommy Miller at Brewery Field after the Moors saw off competition from clubs in the top two tiers of the non-league game to secure his services. After enjoying a fruitful loan spell with Spenny during the second half of last season, Stephenson had impressed during the opening stages of their pre-season campaign.

Former Hartlepool United defender Louis Stephenson has joined Spennymoor Town on a permanent basis (Mya Poole (Spennymoor Town FC)) | Mya Poole (Spennymoor Town FC)

placeholder image — Former Hartlepool United defender Louis Stephenson has joined Spennymoor Town on a permanent basis (Mya Poole (Spennymoor Town FC)) | Mya Poole (Spennymoor Town FC)

However, his attempts to settle into life with his new club have taken a blow after the defender confirmed he had suffered severe damage to his knee during the early stages of his side’s friendly with Northern League neighbours Bishop Auckland. After undergoing a scan, Stephenson revealed he has torn his anterior cruciate ligament and fractured a bone - but stressed his determination to return and described the blow as ‘a bump on his journey’.

Posting on X, he said: “To say I’m heartbroken would be an understatement. A fully torn ACL, a tear in my MCL, a vertical tear in my meniscus and a bone fracture and bruising. Just like that the thing you love is taken away from you. This setback is just a bump on my journey and I will be back.”

Moors boss Miller pledged to support Stephenson throughout his recovery and backed the youngster to ‘come back stronger’.

The former Pools midfielder told the club website: “We’re all absolutely gutted for Louis. He did so well for us last season and we were delighted to bring him to the Club permanently for this year so it’s heartbreaking for him to suffer such a serious injury. We’ll make sure he has all the support he needs during his recovery and, knowing the type of character he is, I am sure he will come back stronger.”

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