Injured United ace Davidson set for extended spell on sidelines

The midfielder, who signed a two-year contract in the summer following a succssful short-term stint at the Showgrounds last season, hasn’t kicked a ball in anger this term because of an ankle tendon injury.

“Alan is going for a scan soon to try to get to the bottom of it,” said United manager Glenn Ferguson.

“Alan is as frustrated as we are – it’s a niggly injury he’s got.

“We’ve tried to get it sorted out as quickly as possible.

“He could have been the difference in a game like last Saturday as he has that bit of quality that can open teams up.

“But we can’t do anything about it until he’s fit so we have to make do with what we have.

“We have a role in mind that we think will suit Alan – he’s a flair player and he can create things, so he certainly won’t be playing full-back!”

Meanwhile, Ferguson has urged his players to use their comeback from three goals down in Saturday’s 3-3 Danske Bank Premiership draw with Donegal Celtic as the launchpad for another unbeaten run.

A 2-1 midweek defeat at Cliftonville saw the Sky Blues’ sequence of 17 games without defeat, stretching back to February, come to an end.

“Once you’ve lost you have to forget about it and not dwell negatively on it.

“I told the players on Saturday to try and win again and start another run of unbeaten matches.”

The next stage of that process comes in the form of a home match against Dungannon Swifts this Saturday (3pm).

“I think Dungannon will be a completely different test from Donegal Celtic.

“I know Rodney McAree and Darren Murphy well and they certainly can mix it when they need to but they have some decent players who can get it down and play,” added Ferguson, who will assess the fitness of striker James Costello in a reserve team match on Wednesday night.