Andy Gray today saw a specialist over a broken hand which has added to City's injury woes.

The winger suffered it during the 2-1 loss at Stoke but only realised the seriousness yesterday.

If the doctor decides that an operation is needed then Gray could be out of action for a month.

The news comes on the heels of Jamie Lawrence's broken ankle which will rule him out until November.

City's thin resources are already being stretched to the limit in the second week of the season.

Boss Nicky Law held talks with the Football League at their Preston headquarters yesterday to see if the club are allowed to make loan signings.

City are currently under a transfer embargo after being bailed out by the Professional Footballers' Association. They can only bring in a new player if another one goes out.

Law said: "We've been given a bit of flexibility on the loan front. While we still can't sign anyone extra unless people leave, at least there is the possibility of bringing in a loan.

"It's not as much as we expected from the league but still better than nothing. Although of course we've got a budget to work to.

"Midfield was an area where we looked to be all right but now we've lost a few all of a sudden.

"We're left with Tom Kearney, Paul Evans and Michael Standing who have all got very limited experience of playing First Division football.

"With the size of our squad, we can't afford to do massive amounts of training because we can't run the risk of any more injuries.

"It's virtually the same position as we were in at the end of last season. Already we have to wrap the players in cotton wool."