BARROW AFC are facing up to the prospect of Byron Harrison's season being ended by his ankle injury.

The Bluebirds top-scorer hurt his ankle when falling in last week's 3-0 win over Lincoln City – soon after netting his 21st goal of a successful campaign.

Scans have since revealed the prospect of his ligaments having become detached from the bone, an injury which would require surgery and end the 29-year-old's season.

Harrison saw a specialist on Thursday, and the final diagnosis cannot be delivered until the swelling on the ankle has subsided – in two weeks time – but boss Paul Cox is having to adjust to the prospect of losing his star striker with three months of the season still to go.

“There is doubt about how long Byron Harrison will be out, because the scan came back a little bit inconclusive, and we don't know if he will need surgery or not,” said the Bluebirds manager. “If it's surgery, that will finish him for the rest of the season. He has to go back in two weeks.”

He added: “Because of the swelling, part of the lateral ligament looked as though it had come away from the bone. He went to see a specialist, and the specialist doesn't think it has come away from the bone, but the swelling is still so severe that we can't tell.

“We're going to have to treat it as if it is a normal ligament injury, wait for the swelling to go down and for a little bit of movement to come back before we can tell.

“On the scan, it did look as though the ligament has come away from the bone. That would need surgery. If not, then we would be looking at two to four weeks out, but that would depend on how quickly it heals.”