Grimsby Town: Goalkeeper Eastwood will be out for six months after surgery

Grimsby Town goalkeeper Jake Eastwood will be sidelined for six months after undergoing surgery to repair his patellar tendon.

Eastwood was sent off after conceding the first goal in Grimsby’s 3-2 win over Carlisle United in League Two on Saturday.

The 27-year-old slipped against a goal post while trying to block Sam Lavelle’s header and fractured the patellar tendon in his knee. He had to be replaced by 17-year-old Seb Auton, who made his senior team debut.

“Such a sharp piece of metal should not be sticking out directly behind the post. These goals are used a lot but it’s obviously a design flaw because that shouldn’t happen,” Mariners head coach David Artell told BBC Radio Humberside.

“Because of the design of a goal, we are now losing a goalkeeper for a long time.

“If it’s any consolation it’s his knee and not his head because it could have been absolutely disastrous.”

Artell said Grimsby began looking for a replacement goalkeeper at half-time of the game at Brunton Park.

Having also lost Jordan Wright to a shoulder injury, Auton is the only goalkeeper in the first team squad ahead of Tuesday night’s game at league leaders Gillingham.