Scan reveals Livingstone broke skull in collision

Grimsby Town's Steve Livingstone will be out of action for longer than previously thought after tests revealed he suffered a fractured skull in an horrific collision during the Mariners' 2-1 defeat to Derby on Saturday.

The 33-year-old striker was knocked unconscious in a clash of heads with the Rams' defender Danny Higginbotham and received 10 minutes' on-pitch treatment before being transferred to hospital. Early tests suggested Livingstone had received nothing more serious than concussion but scans at Grimsby Hospital discovered a fracture to the base of the skull. Livingstone, who missed the whole of last season through injury, will now be out for four to six weeks.

Grimsby's physiotherapist Paul Mitchell confirmed Livingstone will not be able to kick a football for four weeks. Mitchell said the striker suffered fits on the pitch and in the ambulance where he was in and out of consciousness for between 20 and 30 minutes. "It's a severe injury," Mitchell said. "Hopefully he will be released today. He's been ordered to do nothing for two weeks. Then he'll come back and start training in the gym. But he can't do any contact training, heading or ball work, for four weeks."

Paul Groves, the Grimsby manager, said: "My big concern was the blood coming out of his ear and his breathing – or lack of it. It was not pleasant. This is the worst sight I've seen in football and I've been playing for a reasonable amount."