City have promised to help Luke Dean through his broken leg hell.

The young midfielder faces a lengthy absence after the injury he suffered at Eccleshill on Friday was confirmed as a break.

Dean, who turns 21 next month, is only on a short-term contract until January and he is unlikely to be back in contention until the end of September.

It is a worrying time for Dean but Peter Taylor stressed the club would do their best to keep his spirits up.

The City boss said: “We will help him. It’s very disappointing for Luke but we’ll do what we can.

“I’m sure he’s going to be out for ten to 12 weeks. The swelling has got to go down and then they’ll put a fresh cast over it.”

Dean was stretchered off after a clash with Eccleshill’s Mick Baker. Taylor is still not happy about the over-zealous nature of the challenge.

He said: “We spoke before the game that the only things we were looking for in pre-season was football and fitness. We didn’t want to risk picking up injuries.

“It was the only poor thing to come out of a good evening. But we’ve got to get on with it now.”

Dean has been with City since joining the centre of excellence in 2002. He made his senior debut as a substitute in April during the win over Morecambe.