Gutted Huddersfield Town star Gary Naysmith out for four months

Sep 9 2010 by Mel Booth, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

GUTTED Town star Gary Naysmith will be sidelined for the next four months.

The 31-year-old defender has undergone surgery to his left foot and won’t play again until the New Year.

Manager Lee Clark – who has allowed striker Theo Robinson to join Championship Millwall on a three-month loan – conceded it’s a big blow to lose the 46-cap Scottish international left-back who signed from Sheffield United.

“In his four competitive appearances, Gary has already shown what a fantastic addition he is to the team, but unfortunately injuries happen in football,” said Clark.

“More than anything, I’m disappointed for Gary, who has been brilliant since he joined the club in the summer.

“However, his professionalism and desire mean that he will come back stronger than ever and we are all looking forward to that. There is no hiding it, though. Losing Gary is a real blow.”

Naysmith has 360 career appearances to his credit both sides of the border and was hoping to enjoy an uninterrupted season with Town after having injury problems at Bramall Lane.

Surgeons have operated on his left big toe and to repair a ruptured ligament and a severely strained tendon on the underside of the foot. The ligament is reattached and tendon repaired.

Town, meanwhile, don’t know if Robinson’s move to London will become more permanent.

The 21-year-old frontman has featured just once this season for Town – in the Carling Cup trip to Everton – and while he’s been on the bench four times, he hasn’t featured in the 18 for the last two matches.

Clark, of course, has brought in targetman Alan Lee from Crystal Palace and has regularly had Jordan Rhodes, Lee Novak and loan signing Joe Garner ahead of Robinson in the pecking order.

Former Watford man Robinson, who scored 16 goals last season, has previously had loan spells at Southend and Hereford.

Town Manager Lee Clark said: “It’s very rare for a team to have three strikers on the bench in one game, and then even rarer that all three would get used.