He was stretchered off soon afterwards with an Achilles tendon injury which kept him out for three months, by which time the team were in a relegation battle under the management of Gianfranco Zola, who had taken over the day after the Ipswich match.
The player's injury led to a period of difficulty for the team as they battled against relegation, with the arrival of Gianfranco Zola as manager coinciding with this challenging time.