Gillingham’s leading scorer Danny Kedwell is facing a spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed he has broken a rib.

The former AFC Wimbledon star had to be substitiuted midway through the second half of Saturday’s FA Cup tie with Stoke City at Priestfield complaining of a sore rib from a clash with Jonathan Woodgate.

At the time it was feared that he may have cracked a rib and that diagnosis has been clarified on Monday with an x-ray confirming the break.

As yet, it is uncertain as to how long Kedwell will be sidelined for, however a broken rib can usually keep a player out of action for anywhere around six weeks.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler admitted it was the news he was dreading:

“It’s definitely broken, which is a shame for us and for Danny.”

“We don’t know how long he’s going to be out of action for yet.”

Kedwell explained how he sustained the injury and how he felt at the time:

“I went up for a header with Jonathan Woodgate, and although he didn’t mean to, he connected with my rib.”

“I thought it was a stitich at first, but I couldn’t carry on, it was too painful.”

The loss of Kedwell for a significant period of time will come as a huge blow to Gillingham with Frank Nouble and Jo Kuffour having returned to their parent clubs after their loan spells ended.

The Gills are still trying to negotiate a deal that will see Kuffour return to Priestfield on a permanent basis and following Kedwell’s injury, they will be keen to possibly sign another striker or two to supplement Stefan Payne and Dennis Oli.

Adam Birchall is still some weeks away from being fit enough to make his competitive debut for The Gills, with Luke Rooney still linked with a move to Swindon Town.

That leaves Gillingham light on numbers up front and the likes of Ashley Miller could well be pressed into action this weekend if Hessenthaler fails to find someone in time for the trip to Shrewsbury.