More injury woe: Portsmouth curse is catching after unlucky trio ruled out of Women's season

Skipper Hannah Haughton and Emily Pitman won’t play again this term for the WSL Championship side after collecting injuries in training.

The long-serving Haughton damaged her shoulder while diving and will require an operation, while 19-year-old Pitman faces up to 12 months out with an ACL.

They join Jazz Younger, who was ruled out for the campaign in September after re-rupturing her ACL while carrying out rehabilitation from an earlier injury.

It’s yet another brutal body blow to Jay Sadler’s team, who are presently bottom of the table and without a point following last season’s memorable promotion.

The Pompey Women head coach told The News: ‘It never rains but it pours at the moment with results and injuries, but we just have to keep going.

‘It’s hard to accept defeats and defeats hurt, but when you see players injured for the whole season it hurts more.

‘Emily (Pitman) did her ACL in training on a Monday on the Havant & Waterlooville pitch and it’s probably a 10-12 month lay-off. It was innocuous too, all she did was jump up to win a ball.

‘She immediately felt pain, fell to the floor and grabbed her knee. The scan has come back to say it’s an ACL rupture and a few other minor issues around it. She now has to wait for the swelling to reduce and to strengthen the area before undergoing surgery.

‘With Hannah, she was diving to her right on the Havant & Waterlooville pitch, probably for the 30th time in that session, and her shoulder dislocated.

‘She has a shoulder subluxation, it has gone out and popped back in again, and requires surgery. With her being a goalkeeper and a predominant part of the body, it extends the lay-off. So we are looking at 6-8 months, which is the end of the season.’

Pitman has six appearances this season, while Haughton, who has been replaced by on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper Eve Annets, has featured three times.

Both were members of last term's Women’s National League Southern Premier Division title-winning side, as was Younger, who made 20 appearances in the campaign before sustaining her first ACL injury.

Having undergone surgery in April, she subsequently received a set-back last month while carrying out her rehabilitation programme in a Havant gym.

Sadler added: ‘Jazz was doing one-legged hop and holds in the gym and, as she jumped off and landed, it looks like her knee gave in.

‘She has gone through her second op and is doing well from what we are hearing, but won’t be back this season.’