'Shocking news' for Harrogate Town as 'talisman' Jack Muldoon suffers what could be a season-ending injury

The 36-year-old forward, who is the Sulphurites’ seven-goal leading marksman this term, has damaged cartilage in his knee and joins fellow strikers Mason Bennett and Shawn McCoulsky on the sidelines.

The long-serving attacker was crocked during the warm-up of Town’s Friday morning training session and now faces a minimum of six weeks out.

And although he has not featured too much in recent weeks with January recruit Emile Acquah preferred by Simon Weaver in the lone striker role, Muldoon has not only been the only viable alternative in that position for the last month, but also remains a key figure in Harrogate’s dressing room.

Thus, news of his injury has come as a real blow to an already-depleted squad who are fighting hard for survival at the wrong end of League Two.

“We all got knocked a little bit in training on Friday when Jack Muldoon got injured,” Weaver told BBC Radio York.

“That could rule him out for some time, and he is a talisman of the group.

“He was just playing a ball around with a couple of lads in the warm-up and felt his knee.

“It was so innocuous, but he’s had a scan, and he’s got a full thickness fracture of the cartilage.

“The best prognosis is that he’s back in six weeks, the worst is that he is ruled out past the end of the season. So it is absolutely shocking news.”

Weaver did at least have better news to report on another of his senior professionals.

Liam Gibson was replaced by Bobby Faulkner in the 73rd minute of Saturday’s goalless draw with league leaders Bromley, but the Town boss has explained that the influential defender’s withdrawal was only precautionary.

“Gibbo cramped up a bit, and I hope to goodness that he is alright,” Weaver added.

“When Jacob [Slater] shouted to me that he [Gibson] was cramping up, I didn’t want to have a severe injury on our hands, because he has been massive for us in the last six or seven games.

“And we had Bobby ready and waiting.”

Having seen their 2025/26 campaign blighted by fitness issues, Town have actually fared slightly better in terms of injuries recently.

Bryn Morris (neck) and Chanse Headman (foot) both overcame the problems which forced them off at Barrow in midweek to keep their places in Weaver’s starting line-up on Saturday.

And those swift recoveries followed on from the recent return to fitness of the likes of Faulkner, Anthony O’Connor, Ellis Taylor and Tom Hill.

But, in addition to Muldoon and right-back Lewis Cass, who is expected to be missing for at least the next three weeks after pulling his groin at Chesterfield last Saturday, Harrogate are still contending with a fairly lengthy casualty list.

Goalkeeper Mark Oxley (calf), centre-half Tom Bradbury (hamstring), midfielders Ben Fox (ankle) and Levi Sutton (hamstring), plus forwards Bennett (quad), McCoulsky (back) and Stephen Duke-McKenna (foot) all remain sidelined.