DARLINGTON midfielder Mark Kilty could be out of action until Christmas.

The 20-year-old, who only recently signed a new two-year contract, was injured just five minutes into Saturday's 2-0 home defeat by Hull City and at first it was thought he would recover within a week.

However, Quakers have now discovered that he has suffered a cruciate ligament injury.

Director of Football Luke Raine said: "We've been told it's a fairly bad injury.

"He's had a good season since he came into the. Hopefully, he'll be back to his best when he's recovered."

Kilty joins an injury list which already includes Martin Gray, Paul Heckingbottom and Gary Himsworth, although Gray and Heckingbottom should be fit for the start of next season.

Meanwhile, manager Gary Bennett yesterday questioned the qualities of some of his players after the last-gasp defeat at Torquay.

Quakers looked set to pick up the point they needed to ensure Third-Division safety at Plainmoor until they conceded a last-minute goal to sentence them to their third successive defeat.

"Mental and physical strength was lacking," said Bennett.

"It was a terrible goal to concede in the last minute, when we should have had the game won. We switched off when we went a goal in front and allowed Torquay to get back into the game. We stopped passing the ball, tackling and closing people down.

"For the first 70 minutes, there was only team going to win and that was us. But we missed chance after chance and, ironically, Olivier Bernard scored from probably the hardest chance we had."

Striker Jesper Hjorth could be on his way to Kidderminster.

Hjorth is out of contract at the end of this season and hasn't started a game for Quakers since the 3-0 defeat at Barnet in mid-February. Now the opportunity has arisen for him to join his countryman, Jan Molby, at Aggborough.

He has only made one substitute appearance since February, in the defeat at Brighton on Easter Monday.

Bennett said: "We have given him permission to train at Kidderminster this week as Jan wants to have a look at him."

Hjorth joined Quakers in November 1999 and scored six goals in the rest of the season.

However, he has failed to command a starting place this season and has scored just once, in the defeat at Blackpool in November.

l Former Darlington striker Lee Nogan is hoping to extend his stay at York. After being released from Feethams this season, Nogan moved to Luton before joining York in February.

And after netting six times in 14 outings, he admitted: "I would like to stay.

"We have had a chat about it and we will take it from there. It is going really well for me and I couldn't ask any more from myself.

"I've enjoyed the games. It's been difficult because we went bottom, but we are looking a half-decent side now.

"I'm sure we will go from strength to strength."

l Leeds have wrapped up the £12m signing of Robbie Keane ahead of schedule by agreeing with Inter Milan to stagger payments over the next three years.

Leeds, who paid £1m to take Keane on loan from the Italian club until the end of the season, will pay the balance in 2004.

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