Right back Andy Wilkinson has had a coming of age season so far. Twenty appearances have seen the tough tackling full back establish himself as a key part of the Stoke City squad.

However Wilko's recent good run of form has been brought to an abrupt ending by a double hernia injury, which saw him forced of the pitch in the opening moments of City's clash with Ipswich Town.

"I was feeling very stiff at the end of the Newcastle game at the Britannia," Andy told stokecityfc.com, "Then it was the first tackle of the Ipswich game and I felt terrible shooting pains down my side and straight away, I knew it was something serious."

"I went to see the specialist on Tuesday and he confirmed that it was a double hernia and he'd do the operation the next day.

"It was good that things happen so quickly and I was just able to get things out of the way and start my recovery."

Wilkinson's frustration with the timing of the injury are, of course is understandable. However Wilko won't let himself get too down, instead concentrating all his energies and frustrations into his recovery.

"I think I will be out for 2 to 4 weeks, but it's hard to tell with this sort of injury, recovery time can vary from person to person.

"I should be able to start jogging on Wednesday when I get the stitches out and we'll take it from there, so I'll be working hard with the physio and fitness coach over the next few weeks."