Rowlands ruled out for season

REPUBLIC of Ireland midfielder Martin Rowlands has been ruled out for the rest of the season after scans confirmed he has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The QPR captain sustained his injury after falling awkwardly during his competitive international debut in Ireland’s scoreless draw against Montenegro on Wednesday night.

Rowlands, who suffered a carbon copy of the injury against Derby in January, will now go under the surgeon’s knife on Monday.

QPR’s head physio Paul Hunter yesterday backed the 30-year-old to bounce back.

“Martin’s a fighter. I’ve no doubts he’ll come back from this,” he said. “He knows what it takes after going through it last season.”