Irvine Meadow playmaker Jamie Martin has been ruled out of action until the New Year with a fractured ankle.
The 22-year-old sustained the injury in training last night - 48 hours before a crunch league clash against Auchinleck Talbot.
Martin announced in a Twitter post that he faces eight to 10 weeks on the sidelines.
That means he won't be back until the first week in January at the earliest.
And he admitted: 'No good time to get a fractured ankle but would be me to get it at the worst possible time."
The setback comes just as Martin began to establish himself in the starting 11.
He is currently Meadow's second top scorer with five goals, behind red-hot trio Connor Boyd, Mark McLennan and Mick Wardrope who are tied on eight goals.
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