Eastleigh are facing yet another cruel injury blow which could dent their hopes of reaching the Conference South.

Diehard defender Danny Rofe - son of Saints first-team coach Dennis - is in plaster with a fractured ankle after limping off after 77 minutes of Monday's 0-0 Ryman Premier draw at Salisbury City.

His is the third serious injury to rock the Sparshatts Stadium camp in the past fortnight, with ex-Saint David Hughes' suffering a potentially career-threatening knee problem and fellow midfielder Tyronne Bowers breaking his ankle.

Rofe, whose return from long-term hamstring trouble has coincided with Eastleigh's nine-game unbeaten run in the Ryman Premier Division, won't know the full extent of the injury until he visits a bone specialist today, but he is not hopeful of playing again this season.

He said: "There's definitely a fracture there, but I'm hoping it's an old one and that I've just torn ligaments or something.

"I felt the ankle go in the first ten or 15 minutes at Salisbury but I played on for most of the game."

If the break does turn out to be a new one, Rofe, pictured, is likely to be in plaster for a minimum of six weeks ruling him out of the end-of-season play-offs should Eastleigh hang onto a top-five finish.

"I desperately want to be part of that, but Tyronne and Hughesy are the same," said Rofe.

"The trouble with this league is that there are so many games and physically it's more demanding than the league we were in last season (Dr Martens Eastern Division).

"This weekend we've had to play twice in 48 hours plus we have to work, which is a lot to ask. People are bound to get injuries."

Eastleigh's director of football Mark Dennis said: "We will miss Danny. He's got a heart as big as a lion and he showed that by playing on against Salisbury.

"This a big boys' league and it's very physical, but we're a professional outfit and we'll just get on with it."