CPD Y Rhyl 1879 striker Jay Whitehouse has undergone surgery on a devastating knee injury he suffered earlier this year.

The prolific forward arrived at the newly formed club this summer after agreeing to a switch from Rhuddlan Town, where he played a significant role for Wayne Hughes’ side on their way to the Vale of Clwyd and Conwy League Premier Division title.

Whitehouse was expected to do the same for his new club ahead of the new NWCFA Tier 4 (East) Premier Division campaign, whenever it is permitted to get underway, but an injury during a training session cut his efforts at Belle Vue short.

The player ruptured his ACL, suffered tears to his LCL and meniscus, in addition to a small fracture to his tibia, which will need extensive rehabilitation in the coming months after surgeons moved to repair the damage over the festive period.

His clinical displays for Rhuddlan last season, where he held the role of captain, enabled Town to secure promotion and also saw Whitehouse finish as the league’s top goal scorer.

Thomas has plenty of other attacking options at his disposal after a frenzied period of transfer activity resulting in a squad that has the right blend of youth and experience to make a real go of things when competitive action is permitted to resume by the Football Association of Wales.

The two clubs held a friendly fixture – where Rhyl triumphed 6-2 – but coaches and players pulled together for a donation to Whitehouse that was generously matched by both clubs to ease the financial burden during his recovery.

Rhuddlan and Rhyl remain in limbo regarding a possible start date for the new Tier 4 season, with the current lockdown measures casting further doubt as to whether the 2020/21 campaign will take place at all.