Cliftonville hit by further injury blows to Catney and Scannell
Last updated on .From the section Football
Cliftonville have been hit by further injury blows to Ryan Catney and Ronan Scannell as they continue their bid to secure a Europa League place.
Catney faces up to seven weeks on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury in Saturday's 1-0 Premiership win over Ballymena United at Solitude.
The midfielder is understood to have ruptured his AC joint following a collision with Gary Thompson.
Defender Scannell was withdrawn shortly after Jude Winchester's winning goal.
Former Lisburn Distillery player Catney was forced off 25 minutes into the contest and needed immediate hospital treatment after Thompson caught Catney with his boot while attempting to execute a hooked clearance.
Midfielder Robert Bayly missed the victory over the Sky Blues with a knock while goalkeeper Conor Devlin, Barry Johnston and Stephen Garrett have been long-term absentees.
Winger Chris Curran and defender Eamonn Seydak are back in training, while Johnny Flynn continues to recover from a knee injury sustained in the County Antrim Shield final win over Bangor in mid-January.
The Reds have two weeks to reduce their casualty list ahead of their next league game away to Coleraine on 7 March.
The Reds lie fourth in the table, one point behind third-placed Portadown.
