Harrogate Town midfielder George Thomson to miss Tranmere Rovers clash with fresh hamstring injury

The 30-year-old midfielder pulled up in the very last seconds of the Sulphurites’ midweek EFL Trophy win over Morecambe, having completed more than 90 minutes on what was his first start in almost two months.

Thomson had come off the bench during the closing stages of Town’s victory at home to Hartlepool last weekend following his recovery from a hamstring tendon tear sustained at Barrow on August 20, and looked set to make it through his second game back unscathed.

But, after playing a routine pass just before the referee blew for full-time, he went down having felt a “sharp pain” in his upper leg and was then seen beating the turf in frustration.

A scan has subsequently revealed that the former FC United of Manchester man has damaged a different part of his hamstring on this occasion, though Town’s medical team are still waiting on a prognosis which will reveal exactly how long he is set to be sidelined for.

"I’m so gutted because if the game had finished literally a couple of seconds earlier then we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Thomson told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"I just played a pass around the corner right before the referee blew. It’s a pass I play every day of my life, I haven’t over-extended myself.

"I felt a really sharp pain in my leg, what I imagine it feels like to be shot, and then it was gone instantly. It was different to how it felt last time, not as bad, but I felt something had gone which is why I was punching the ground. I walked off the pitch but it tightened up as soon as I got into the changing room.

"It’s the same leg again, but the scan has shown that this time there’s a little tear in the muscle, lower down than before when I damaged the tendon right at the top.

"I’m hopeful that it’s not anywhere near as severe. I’m waiting to find out how long I’ll be out for, but hopefully we are talking a few weeks on this occasion rather than anything longer-term.”

Thomson, who is not used to finding himself stuck on the sidelines having featured in every single one of Town’s 46 League Two fixtures in both 2020/21 and 2021/22, added: "It’s easy to say in hindsight that maybe I shouldn’t have stayed on for the full 90.

"But, I was feeling absolutely fine, even after the game went into injury-time.

"I was a bit nervous going into Tuesday, a little bit wary during the first five, ten minutes because it was my first start in a couple of months. But, from then onwards I felt good.

"There were no warning signs at all. I wasn’t feeling like I was going to start cramping up, I wasn’t feeling tight anywhere.

"Maybe it’s down to fatigue, maybe it’s just bad luck. Obviously it is frustrating for me and I’ve got to wait to find out how bad it is, but whatever happens, I’ll be grafting my hardest to get back as soon as I possibly can.”

Harrogate’s clash with Tranmere kicks-off at Wetherby Road at 3pm on Saturday.