MORTON have suffered an injury blow with winger Nicky Cadden expected to face at least four weeks on the sidelines.

Cadden pulled up clutching his right leg minutes into the second half of Ton’s clash with Arbroath as he was played through one-on-one with ex-Ton ‘keeper Derek Gaston. The 23-year-old had only just returned to the side after sitting out the 1-1 draw against Dunfermline with a hamstring strain before the

break.

The winger was immediately subbed by Ton boss David Hopkin and replaced by Billy King.

Hopkin confirmed his worst fears and revealed Cadden is set for a lengthy spell in the stand.

The Morton manager told the Tele: “It was a big blow for us losing Nicky early in the second half.

“You’ve got someone who has pace, power and can finish, has gone through one-on-one with the ‘keeper and when he’s about to finish he pulls up with a hamstring.

“He’s going to be a huge miss for at least the next four weeks.

“That’s the kind of luck that we’re having to deal with at the minute.

“We had to change our plan after about three or four minutes, so it was a massive blow for us.”

The Ton gaffer says he’s now looking for players to step up to the plate as a place in his side is up for grabs.

He admitted that he was impressed by King, who came on for Cadden, as he looks to nail down a starting place since joining in late September.

Hopkin added: “I thought Billy did really well when he came on.

“It was good to get him 40 minutes as he looks to get up to speed.

“We’ve got a lot of young players in the squad who have only just come to this league for the first time, so they’re going to have to adapt very quickly now.”

Meanwhile, Morton were drawn at home with Brora Rangers in the third round of the Scottish Cup. The tie is scheduled to take place at Cappielow on November 23.