by John Edwards ALTRINCHAM are seeking help from the Professional Footballers’ Association to try and speed up the process of gauging how long they will be without defender Mike Williams.

The summer signing was carried off with a ruptured Achilles, in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Leamington, after a freak incident that took some of the shine off Alty’s return to the top of the Skrill North table.

There were initial fears he may be out for the rest of the season, but manager Lee Sinnott stressed his recovery period will only be known once a decision has been made on whether the injury needs operating on or placed in plaster.

‘There does seem to be serious damage, but Mike needs to see a specialist, first and foremost,’ said the Alty boss. ‘The sooner the better, so we know where we stand, and with that in mind, Mike has spoken to the PFA to see if they can hurry things along and perhaps wield some influence over fixing up an appointment.

‘Until then, there’s no point guessing. It’s clearly going to be months, because he has to complete his rehabilitation and then build up his match fitness, but it can vary between individuals.

‘I remember my brother-in-law, a centre-forward, had this injury and thought someone had kicked him from behind, when, in fact, there was no-one near him. It was the same with Mike. As he was carried off, he asked who had tackled him, but no-one had. There was no-one close enough, and I think he just stumbled, which is so unfortunate.

‘It’s such a shame, because he has already proved a great player and great person to have around the dressing room. He has brought something to the squad, with his steadiness and versatility, and I just hope we will see him back as soon as possible.

‘In the meantime, Scott Leather will slot back in. I have the utmost confidence in Scott as a young defender who puts his body on the line and is learning and improving all the time. We are putting feelers out about possibly reinforcing, if the need arises as we go along, but you have to take on board clubs don’t want to loan you players to sit on the bench.

‘We are keeping our powder dry but making sure we are ready to react, if our numbers are stretched any further.’ Alty hope to have James Walshaw and Jake Moult fit against Oxford City at the J.Davidson Stadium on Saturday (3pm).