STOKE reserve Joe Alcock has informed the club that he has a hairline fracture of his left ankle after an horrific crash in the defeat against Cradley at Monmore Green on Monday night.

Alcock visited the Royal Stoke hospital on Tuesday morning and commented “I’ve had x-rays done on my left hip and shoulder and I’ve not broken anything there but, the x-ray on my leg showed a hairline crack and I’ve been told that it could take up to two weeks for the injury to heal right meaning that I will unfortunately miss Stoke’s two meetings this week against Leicester.”