PARS midfielder Aaron Splaine has undergone surgery on his broken leg, boss Allan Johnston has confirmed.

The 21-year-old went under the knife yesterday after suffering the horror injury during a Fife Cup clash with Burntisland Shipyard on Wednesday evening.

The former Kilmarnock and Queen of the South midfielder was taken to Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital after suffering a broken tibia and fibia in the 50th minute of the game, which was played at Kelty Hearts.

As the extent of Splaine's injury became clear, the game was subsequently abandoned and he was taken to hospital, where he remained overnight.

Johnston, who stayed with the player for several hours, confirmed to the media yesterday afternoon that Splaine was undergoing an operation on his fractured shinbone and adjoining 'calf bone' that is set sideline him for a lengthy period.

“He broke his tibia and fibula, but at least he’s getting it fixed,” Johnston said.

“It’s frustrating for everybody because you don't like to see any of your players get injured but you've just got to deal with it and make sure he comes back stronger. I'm sure he will.

"It was really unfortunate. It wasn't as though it was a challenge or anything; we've watched it again on the video and he's just went right over on his ankle.

“He was good, although I don’t know if that was the drugs he was on! He was on a few painkillers but, even when he’d done it and he was on the pitch, he didn’t seem in a lot of pain.

“I was surprised because I imagine, if you break your leg you’d be in a lot of pain, but he never showed it.

“The main thing is he’s getting his operation and hopefully that’ll be him on the road back already.

"It's really disappointing to get an injury like that, so we've got to make sure that we look after him and that everything's done right with his rehab."

After signing in the summer, Splaine revealed that a broken foot had sidelined him for a year but Johnston says he can take inspiration from team-mate Ryan Williamson to overcome his latest injury blow.

The full-back suffered a similar injury at Forfar in 2015 - sidelining him for the majority of Pars' League One title-winning season - but has bounced back to become a regular in the side and a Scotland under-21 international.

Johnston added: "I think it gives you a lot of confidence knowing that someone's been through that before, and you see how well he (Williamson) has bounced back.

"He's come back even better than what he was before and they're at a similar age as well. The guy doing the operation was involved Ryan's as well, so Aaron can take a lot of confidence from that.

"It just shows you how easily it can happen. The senior boys were playing for 60 minutes and it happened after 50. It's one of those things that can happen at any time so I'm gutted for him, but he's a strong character, somebody who will work really hard to get back and is at a good age.

"He's had a couple of injuries but he's a worker and someone who'll get his head down."