Harrogate Town's Alex Pattison set for scan on knee injury sustained during FA Cup loss at Hartlepool United

As if being knocked out of the competition by League Two’s bottom side and missing out on £67,000 in prize money following an abject performance wasn’t bad enough, the Sulphurites also lost influential midfielder Alex Pattison to a knee problem.

The 25-year-old, who has scored six goals and assisted four more this term, had to be substituted at half-time and would later leave Victoria Park on crutches.

The severity of the damage to the former Wycombe Wanderers midfielder’s knee is not yet known, with Pattison due to have a scan on Monday afternoon.

"Alex Pattison is on crutches, I don’t know the extent of the injury yet, but it’s a worry, of course it is,” Harrogate boss Simon Weaver said, speaking shortly after the final whistle had sounded on a 3-1 loss.

"We weren’t aware that he’d done anything before he came in at half-time. If we’d know we probably wouldn’t have taken Josh Austerfield off before [half-time]. He voiced it as soon as he walked into the changing room.

"It's the side of his knee. He came to me and said he had been struggling to run for the last 10 minutes, so we had to pull him off, unfortunately.

"It’s another blow from a bad afternoon, but hopefully the extent of the problem doesn’t end up being too devastating.”

Having already lost their other in-form attacking midfielder, Matty Daly, to a knee injury, Town could really do without Pattison being out for any significant period of time.

Of the 24 goals that Harrogate have scored in all competitions during 2022/23, Pattison and Daly have netted 12 of them.

"As attacking central-midfielders, Patto and Matty Daly are really what this 4-3-3 system we have been playing is all about. We’ve been buzzing about them,” Weaver added.

"We’ve already lost Matty, whose class we missed on the ball on Saturday because he adds fluidity and a cutting edge.

"So we’re hoping that Patto has just jarred his knee."

Daly has been ruled out for eight weeks and joins goalkeeper Mark Oxley (hand), centre-half Will Smith (knee), midfielder Stephen Dooley (groin and foot), winger Max Wright (ankle) and striker Dior Angus (ankle) on Harrogate’s long-term injury list.