FA Women’s Championship club Lewes have confirmed that forward Kallie Balfour has undergone surgery on an injury sustained during The Rookettes’ Vitality Women’s FA Cup third round tie at Bristol City on Sunday.
The 29-year-old was named as a substitute for Craig Gill’s side and while Balfour came on during the game, she had to leave the pitch on a stretcher.
Lewes have today issued an update on the player’s fitness. The Sussex club have confirmed that Balfour dislocated her patella and ruptured her patella tendon and the player has already gone under the surgeon’s knife to address the injury. The forward will now undergo a period of rehabilitation.
An update on the injury Kallie Balfour sustained during the FA Cup match on Sunday. Kallie underwent surgery the day after the game against Bristol having dislocated her patella and ruptured her patella tendon. She is doing well and in recovery. pic.twitter.com/gwijeozstB
— Lewes FC Women (@LewesFCWomen) December 14, 2021
Balfour’s injury caps-off a difficult period for Lewes who could name just 14 players in their squad for the match at The Robins’ High Performance Centre due to COVID-19. They did not meet the criteria to request a postponement of the match. Gill’s side went on to lose the tie 5-0 with opponents Bristol City having displayed real signs of improvement in recent weeks.
Lewes signed Balfour in the summer after the player left fellow FA Women’s Championship club London City Lionesses. The player has made seven appearances in all competitions for The Rookettes so far in her career at The Dripping Pan.