'Out for the season, 100 per cent' - Portsmouth, Sunderland, Hull City and Ipswich Town promotion rivals dealt big blow

The former Pompey explained he’d be ‘amazed’ if the Imps’ top scorer with 15 goals plays again this term, after suffering ankle ligament damage against Plymouth on Tuesday.Appleton told LincolnshireLiv : ‘There’s a couple of ruptures and tears to different parts of the ligament in the ankle.‘He’s going to be out for the season, 100 per cent. I’d be absolutely amazed if it’s anything less.‘If it is, brilliant, bring it on, fantastic. But I’d be amazed if he plays again this season.

SUBSCRIBE today for the latest Pompey updates‘It’s about making sure the decision we make is the right one for him and not where we’re trying to rush him back.’New Doncaster boss Andy Butler has vowed to carry on entertaining after picking up a 2-1 win over Plymouth.Butler’s side followed up the mid-week win over Pompey with another second success, and he told after how he wants his players to play with freedom.Butler told the Doncaster Free Press: ‘I think the word we’re looking for is entertaining.‘Overall, performance-wise, the players put in an incredible shift on and off the ball, and I’m really pleased.‘I’ve asked the players to be a front foot, pressing team. There are going to be occasions where it’s not possible all the time but at the same time, I’ve said to them to excite me in the final third.‘Let the catch off and excite me because people want to see entertaining football and hopefully people are getting that with the positive results.’Darren Ferguson is looking for Peterborough to bounce back after they were knocked off top spot after a defeat to Burton.Ferguson told the Peterborough Telegraph: ‘It was a disappointing result and performance. This can happen over the course of a season. We can’t get down about it just as we weren’t getting carried away with the winning run.‘We need to react well now. We need to move on quickly. We can’t get this result back. We have to look ahead and it is the perfect game for us on Tuesday to do that. I think it is a great game for us on Tuesday.‘I’ve said for a long time the teams that react best to defeats will be the ones who are successful this season.’Hull are the new leaders after a 2-0 win over Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers, with Cardiff loanee Gavin Whyte getting both goals.Boss Grant McCann told BBC Humberside: ‘You’ve got to remember that Gavin has missed three or four weeks with an injury, so like any professional football player will tell you, it can take a little while to get up to where you can be.‘Gavin was part of a Cardiff team that got to the top six of the Championship, he’s a top player, an international player.’Sunderland arrive at Fratton Park on Tuesday unbeaten in seven games after a 2-0 success over Rochdale.Assistant manager Jamie McAllister said: ‘They're a good side who move the ball well, their rotations are very good.‘It was a difficult game but the lads gave us a chance with another clean sheet and we know we've always got goals in the team.’

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