Cork City have been rocked by news that new signing Stephen O'Donnell will sidelined for six months.

Republic of Ireland Under-23 international O'Donnell suffered a serious injury to his knee on his competitive debut for the Rebel Army, against Sligo Rovers. While the club expected to be without the ex-Bohemians midfielder for a period, their worst fears have now been confirmed as O'Donnell will not play again until after the summer. While the full extent of the injury has yet to be determined, it has been confirmed that O’Donnell has suffered damage to his cruciate ligament.

Latvian international Robert Mezeckis will also miss the game against Derry City this Friday night. Mezeckis suffered an ankle injury against St. Pat’s, and while initial fears that he had broken his ankle have proved not to be the case, the central defender has suffered ankle ligament damage and it is believed he will be sidelined for approximately four weeks.