CPD Y Rhyl 1879 striker Jay Whitehouse is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after the extent of his knee injury was revealed.

The prolific forward arrived at the newly formed club this summer after agreeing a switch from Rhuddlan Town, where he played a significant role for Wayne Hughes’ side on their way to the Vale of Clwyd and Conwy League Premier Division title.

Whitehouse was expected to do the same for his new club ahead of the new NWCFA Tier 4 (East) Premier Division campaign, whenever it is permitted to get underway, but he now looks set to miss a considerable period of time following a training injury suffered during a recent session.

The player ruptured his ACL, suffered tears to his LCL and meniscus, in addition to a small fracture to his tibia, which will need extensive rehabilitation in the coming months.

This represents a significant blow for Whitehouse, who was looking to make his presence felt for Gareth Thomas’ men during their expected promotion bid at the first time of asking.

His clinical displays for Rhuddlan last season, where he held the role of captain, enabled Town to secure promotion and also saw Whitehouse finish as the league’s top goalscorer.

Thomas has plenty of other attacking options at his disposal after a frenzied period of transfer activity resulting in a squad that has the right blend of youth and experience to make a real go of things when competitive action is permitted to resume by the Football Association of Wales.