Dunfermline keeper Greg Paterson is facing six months on the sidelines.
Paterson is undergoing surgery on the double leg break he suffered against Dundee.
Boss Jim McIntyre backed the 20-year-old to overcome this latest blow to a career already blighted by a major back operation.
“It’s such a shame for Greg,” said McIntyre.
“He’d just broken into the team and was looking very assured. He’s been so unlucky.
“It’s a major blow for us and the boy. But he will be looked after.
“Greg had to show strength of character to come through the back operation he did. Being a goalkeeper and so young that was a big deal.
“But he recovered from that and now knows what it takes to come back from serious injury.”
The Pars were given special permission by the league management committee on Wednesday night to bring in Chris Smith on loan from St Mirren to cover for Paterson’s absence.
Smith joined the Pars in December but his loan spell then lasted just three games as he picked up a stress fracture in his foot and returned to the Paisley side.
Meanwhile, Neil McGregor has spoken of his shock at the devastating injury to Paterson which completely overshadowed their impressive victory against Dundee on Tuesday night.
The Pars were leading 1-0 on the half-hour mark at a snowy East End Park when Paterson was involved in a collision on the edge of his box with Dark Blues striker Ben Hutchinson.
The seriousness of the injury was immediately apparent as Hutchinson reeled away holding his head in his hands while the Dunfermline players frantically shouted for medical help.No blameBut McGregor made clear no one was pointing an accusing finger at the on-loan Celtic striker for what occurred.
“To be honest, I did not really see what happened,” he said.
“I thought the ball had been cleared and I turned round to see Greg still lying on the ground.
“His leg was just hanging there and we tried to get the stretcher on as quickly as possible.
“It really put a massive damper on the night.
“It looked like a terrible injury and it seems certain he will be out for a while which is a desperate shame for him as he has worked so hard to get into the team.
“The gaffer told us at half-time to go back out and win it for Greg, which thankfully we did.
“There is no blame attached to the Dundee boy though. He was just going to close the ball down and did not mean to injure Greg.
“It was obvious he was really upset about what happened.”
Tuesday’s game marked McGregor’s first start since recovering from an injury sustained against Morton on February 27.
While he was happy to play his part in the fine victory, he acknowledged that Dunfermline’s destiny this season is no longer their own to decide.
“I am a little disappointed we did not keep a clean sheet but the victory was the most important thing,” he said.
“It was a difficult night when there could have been a lot of mistakes but luckily we managed to keep things solid at the back.
“That result gets us right back in the mix but Inverness won again on Tuesday night so promotion is really out of our own hands now.
“We still have to play them and all we can do is go out and try to win every game before the end of the season and see where that takes us.”