Huge blow for Wrexham! Summer signing needs surgery on dislocated elbow & faces 'significant period of time out'

The incident unfolded in stoppage time when Ward challenged for a high ball and landed awkwardly. He was knocked unconscious, leaving players and fans in stunned silence as medical staff rushed on.

After some lengthy treatment, the 'keeper was stretchered off before being taken to the hospital. The seriousness of the injury became clear as boss Phil Parkinson admitted afterwards he was “fearing the worst.” Those fears were confirmed early this week.

Parkinson delivered the grim update, saying: “It is really bad news for us with Danny and, more importantly, for himself. It is a dislocated elbow but when you do a dislocation, you have ligament damage which needs rectifying. He faces an operation on Friday and he will obviously have a significant period of time out.

"I think the specialist has said we won't know until he has actually done the operation and put a timescale on that but obviously it is a serious injury and our thoughts are with Danny. It is part and parcel of football picking up injuries and he will come back at some point this season ready to play his part."

Ward’s injury is doubly cruel given he had just been recalled to Craig Bellamy’s Wales squad for their crunch World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan. With Leeds United keeper Carl Darlow his main rival, Ward had been in line for a potential starting berth. 

Parkinson admitted the timing could not have been worse: "Danny was all set to go away with Wales. I think the fact he had been playing (for Wrexham) has got him in a good place for getting back into the Welsh starting line-up. I don't know what Craig was thinking but it is so frustrating for us and for him. The goalkeeping department was a problem we didn't really need so late in the window."

Ward had started all four of Wrexham’s opening Championship matches, their first games at this level in 43 years, but now Parkinson must turn to his back-up options. Arthur Okonkwo, who replaced Ward at Millwall and pulled off a stunning save, is the frontrunner.

"We have got two great goalkeepers," added Parkinson. "The save Arthur made when he came on (at Millwall for Ward), I'm not sure many other keepers make that save and Callum (Burton) is a terrific goalkeeper. When we brought Danny in, there was maybe talk of Callum going but I sat down with him and said I really wanted him to stay because I feel he has got a part to play. If you look at the way he played when he got in the team last year, he was doing great."

After the international break, the Red Dragons host QPR at the Racecourse Ground on September 13, with either Okonkwo or Burton expected to start between the sticks.