BEN Hardy has rejoined Eccleshill United but an injury has already put his season in doubt.

The winger returned to the Eagles after being sidelined for the second half of last campaign.

However, Hardy suffered a bad knee injury in last week's friendly with Farsley Celtic and he fears the worst.

Speaking to the club website, Hardy said: "It's not looking good at the moment. I knew straight away that I had done something bad to my knee. I saw the specialist the day after who thinks my ACL has ruptured. I have an MRI scan Monday morning then I'll be discussing the results later in the week.

"Unfortunately this would be the second time I have done my ACL which means any surgery becomes more challenging and likely to take longer to recover from.

"I turn 34 in January so will need to access all my options. I'd love to stay involved this season in some capacity. Sean (Regan) and Dez (Hamilton) are a class team, the boys are class and so is everyone else involved with Eccleshill.

"We have had some problems getting the water bottles filled up and ready for the games so could be an opportunity to be the water boy."

Hardy has had several spells with United and he played an important role in the first half of last season, his goal tally helping the Eagles reach a play-off place from which they secured promotion back to the top flight of the Northern Counties East League.

However, injury meant he stopped playing in the second half of the campaign as Hardy explained: "I was struggling with my groin last season leading up to Christmas to the point where I was trying to avoid kicking the ball in warm-ups and avoided taking corners.

"I was still able to run so increased the amount of running I was doing weekly to try stay fit but then I got tendonitis in my Achilles, which pretty much took me out for the second half of the season.

"I was always planning on returning and kept in touch with the lads and Sean, and worked hard with my physio to get fit for this season."