LUCKLESS GIllingham defender Mark Patterson faces the prospect of missing the remainder of the season after tearing a hamstring during the warm-up at Rotherham last week.

He was withdrawn before a ball had been kicked, leaving him with a race against time if he is to play again this season.

Patterson, whose season has been punctuated by persistent injury problems, has been restricted to 23 senior appearances. He said: “There are nine games to go and I'm looking to play again but I'm making slow progress.

“You can never tell with torn hamstring. Sometimes they heal quickly, sometimes they don't. The last thing you want to do is rush back because that can really set you back. I'm in the hands of the physios.”