Murdo MacRae, Kyles Athletic’s exciting young full back, will miss next month’s Scottish Sea Farms Celtic Society Cup Final and a key chunk of the season.
The 18-year-old was released from hospital on Tuesday after surgery to insert a steel pin in a kneecap fractured in the semi-final success over Oban.
Manager Robert Baxter said: “Murdo is a terrific talent and this injury is a bad blow to the lad and the team alike.
“It’s too early to say how long he’ll be out. He’s extremely disappointed to miss the Celtic final, his first senior one, and there are other important games coming up where we’ll miss him.”
Andy King, sent off against Oban, has collected a two-game suspension starting with Saturday’s Mowi Premiership home game with table toppers Kingussie.
Sorley Thomson returns for Kyles, who lost 2-0 at Kingussie in the league on March 26, when James Hutchison and Fraser Munro sustained injuries which have subsequently sidelined them.
Both have been training this week and could make their comebacks as substitutes.
The Dell dynamos have reeled off 10 wins out of 10 in all competitions this season, scoring 31 goals and conceding only three, with 10 goals for skipper Savio Genini and six for Roddy Young. The reshuffled Kyles defence will thus be under pressure.
Newtonmore, three points behind Kingussie at the top of the Premiership from the same number of games, play host to Lovat, who have had only three league fixtures but won them all, scoring seven and conceding none.
The pacy Fraser Heath sustained a knee injury in last weekend’s MacTavish semi-final and will be missing from the Lovat attack. Lorne MacKay and Graeme Macmillan are major doubts.
Third-top Kinlochshiel’s revival run has taken them to within two points of Newtonmore and they head for Yoker to face Celtic Society Cup finalists Glasgow Mid Argyll, who hope to have former Shiel attacker Oliver MacRae fit to face his old team.
The big Lochaber derby at An Aird has added significance in the battle against relegation as second bottom Fort William, on two points, are at home to Kilmallie, who have picked up a single point.
Fort co-manager Victor Smith flew back on Thursday night after cheering on Rangers in Seville. Jamie Duncan (broken knuckle) is out with Calum Shepherd also very doubtful for the home side.
