CARL MAGNAY will be assessed today to discover the extent of his knee injury after being forced off during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Mansfield.

The right-back twice went down injured in the opening half before he was forced off a minute before half-time.

He left The Northern Gas and Power Stadium on crutches and, while there’s a fear of knee ligament damage, it is hoped the injury is not too severe.

Pools’ boss Craig Hignett said: “Carl is struggling a bit, he’s felt something in his knee. The first impressions are nothing major or not too serious. Fingers crossed. We think he’s got away without damaging his cruciate, but Buster will have a good luck at it, and he will have a scan just to make sure, but he could miss a couple of weeks.

“Lewis Hawkins went off with a bang, nothing serious. This game was a bit too soon for Rob Jones, we will see him back training properly this week.’’

Without the more experienced centre-halves Matthew Bates and Rob Jones, Pools kept their first clean sheet of the season and their first since winning at Leyton Orient on March 28.

Toto Nsiala and Scott Harrison formed a solid pairing and Hignett said: “Toto on his game, playing and making good decisions is a proper defender for this league, he’s a young lad, learning all the time showing us he’s getting better.

“And Scott Harrison was solid throughout and took no chances, showed the form he was in last year was a distant memory now I hope.

“If Batesy or Rob isn’t playing, there’s no natural talker along the back four. People who will say things, but no real leaders without the two older ones. It comes through organisation and knowing where to be, holes to plug and they listen to what we have been doing the last two weeks.’’