NEWPORT County AFC have received a fitness boost after scans revealed lynchpin Scot Bennett has not suffered ankle ligament damage in a heavy fall that led to teammates hearing the crack of a broken bone.

The Exiles were fearing the worst when the 30-year-old Cornishman landed awkwardly in the 1-0 loss to Northampton at Rodney Parade last week.

Players close to the incident immediately called for the medics and Bennett received lengthy treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off with his left foot in a protective boot.

The defender/midfielder has been a mainstay of Flynn’s side and has made 241 appearances since arriving in 2016, with 219 of them starts.

While Bennett still faces a wait to make his 242nd outing, he won’t spend as long on the sidelines as was first feared.

“The ligaments are completely fine, it's just a clean break of the metatarsal,” said manager Michael Flynn.

“Luckily it's only the middle one, so it's not going to be as long as we feared. After people said that they heard the crack, that's the best news that we could have had.

“He can slot in at most positions at the back and in midfield, so people are very aware that they need to be on their toes for when he is back fit.”

Recoveries from metatarsal injuries for footballers usually range from between six and ten weeks.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Joe Day is fit to be in the mix for tomorrow evening’s League Two game at Barrow.

The stopper missed last weekend’s 2-1 win over Walsall because of a thigh injury with Nick Townsend deputising.

County opted to go with seven outfield players on the bench rather than risk untested teenager Evan Ovendale with central defender Mickey Demetriou the nominated cover.

Flynn is unlikely to make many changes after the strong performance, especially in the first half, against Walsall.