The former Cambridge front man went off after an accidental clash with Rangers defender George Santos in the 2nd half and appears to have suffered medial knee ligament damage.

Club officials will now send Kitson for an all important scan tomorrow morning to discover the extent of damage done to Kitson's right knee.

Manager Steve Coppell said;

"At the moment something he's in a lot of pain. He's very ginger on his knee and it will be better to have a scan in a couple of days when it has settled down. We hope it's not a big deal but at least I have forwards to juggle with Nicky Forster back."

The injury would be a major set back to the Royals promotion push to the Premiership. Coppell's squad is small compared to other Championship promotion pushers and many supporters feel the Royals are short in defence.

But Coppell did have the pleasure of bringing back Nicky Forster to the fold in yesterday's match. The former Birmingham front man has been out injured for 2 months with a groin injury and he will be desperate to kick start his season, especially with his contract up at the end of the season.

We wish Dave a quick and speedy recovery!