Clyde star Easton out for season

The 22-year-old midfielder has ruptured his cruciate ligament and will require an operation which will be followed by a lengthy rehabilitation period.

Easton suffered the injury five minutes from the end of Saturday's 3-2 win over Arbroath and was stretchered off. A scan has now confirmed his, and the club's, worst fears.

Incredibly he is the third player to have suffered a serious cruciate injury this year. Only last week defender Jordan Lowdon, another of manager Barry Ferguson's summer signings, was diagnosed with a similar problem sustained during a match with Annan last month.

And in January Scott Ferguson suffered the same injury in a match against East Fife. Ironically Ferguson returned to action as a substitute against Arbroath in the same match as Easton was injured.

Easton, recruited from Elgin City during the close season, has been Clyde's outstanding performer this season and was viewed by Ferguson as a key component in his side promotion drive.

The Clyde boss told the club website: "I'm devastated by this news, first and foremost for Dylan himself. He's absolutely gutted at the moment, but we are all there to support him and I will make sure that he gets through it.

"As a club, we worked extremely hard to get Dylan and, like Jordan, he was going to be a big player for us so it's massively disappointing.

"The operation will take a few weeks to happen as there is swelling around his knee that needs to come down first. He'll be assessed again in a few weeks before a date is set for surgery.

"The important thing now is making sure he gets back from this and is stronger for it. We will look after both Dylan and Jordan to make sure that happens."

Ironically Clyde, second in the table after their 3-2 win over Arbroath, visit Easton's former club Elgin on Saturday before a potentially crucial clash against unbeaten league leaders Forfar Athletic at Broadwood the following Saturday.