Bad news on injured Rotherham United players Lee Peltier, Shane Ferguson and Jamie Lindsay

DEFENDER Lee Peltier is facing months on the sidelines after breaking down for Rotherham United on the opening day of the Championship campaign.  

The right-back came on as a half-time substitute in last Saturday's 4-1 loss at Stoke City and lasted only 13 minutes before limping off injured.

Tests this week have shown the problem is even worse than the Millers first feared.

“Pelts has damaged his calf quite badly,” manager Matt Taylor told the Advertiser. “He'll be out for a substantial amount of time. We're talking months.

“It is a blow, a real blow. We'll miss his performances, his character, his ‘spike’.”

The 36-year-old, who signed a new one-year deal in the summer, is one of more than half a dozen Rotherham players on the casualty list and there is unwelcome news concerning winger Shane Ferguson and midfielder Jamie Lindsay.

Ferguson is to see a specialist because of lingering issues following a hernia operation and Lindsay's troublesome achilles is failing to respond to treatment. The former has been out since the end of last term while the latter hasn't played for more than a month.

“Shane's had countless problems with this stomach complaint,” Taylor said. “Jamie's issue is an incredibly frustrating one. When he first did it we felt it was just a tightness in a tendon where his calf attaches to his achilles. Maybe it's a slow-healing place because of the blood supply. It's just not improved. I expected him to be fit at the start of the season. I don't have a time frame on him.”