YORK City Knights' injury worries have worsened yet further with the news Mark Cain could have suffered ligament damage.

The in-form loose-forward, who had notched five tries in five games before taking a bang on his knee against Sheffield ten days ago, was hoping to see a specialist this week to diagnose the damage.

However, he fears he could have suffered another cruciate ligament injury.

"I did the cruciate in my right knee a few years ago and I think it feels to be a similar kind of thing in my left knee," he told the Evening Press.

As reported by the Evening Press, Cain was stretchered off against Sheffield after taking a knock to both sides of his knee but he hoped he had suffered nothing more than bruising.

"Hopefully it will be something that can get better quickly but we'll have to see," he said.

"I'm waiting for the trauma to go down inside the knee and hopefully it won't be too bad."

The Knights were down to the bare bones on Sunday yet they still came up with a 28-24 win at Division One side Dewsbury.

Cain added: "The lads had their backs to the wall but they did well and it was a great win."

Aussie stand-off Jonny Firth, who suffered a bad arm injury - tearing a tendon off the bone - in the match at Hull KR two and a half weeks ago, is to return to the specialist next week.

Other Knights' players on the treatment table include Lee Jackson, Graeme Hallas, Carl Stannard and Matt Blaymire, while the injury crisis also saw winger Alex Godfrey play - and score a try - despite needing a hernia operation.

Updated: 11:35 Wednesday, April 09, 2003