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An innocuous tackle and awkward fall left the 25-year-old in obvious pain and an ambulance was summoned immediately to transport the unlucky Piorkowski to hospital for x-rays.
Further tests will be conducted today to assess if there is any further damage before a recovery timeframe can be accurately established.
However, a lengthy lay-off is expected for the former Melbourne Victory man and United Head Coach Miron Bleiberg is left with no option but to begin his search for a temporary replacement player to cover for the central defender’s absence.
“It was typical of Daniel to show full commitment in a training session and that’s what he did. Sadly on this occasion he has landed awkwardly after a tackle and on first viewing it didn’t look good,” said Bleiberg.
“Daniel is a lovely guy and a very good player and we are all sad for him. He will be back in time of course, but in the meantime we will need to look for a replacement player to give us cover in the central defensive position.”
Bleiberg again faces the prospect of having to tinker with his squad with several players either ruled out or doubtful for the visit to Bluetongue Stadium where United take on Central Coast Mariners this Saturday night.
Bleiberg will once more be without the services of midfield anchorman, Robson, who is rested again to allow his troublesome knee injury more time to settle and guarantee his readiness for next week’s visit of Melbourne Victory.
Thursday’s injury to the unlucky Daniel Piorkowski provided Bleiberg with even more selection headaches and has left the United boss dangerously short of defensive cover.
Zenon Caravella, whose wife Katherine is due to give birth to the couple’s first child today (Friday), will join the squad in Gosford on Saturday if United cannot do without his services this weekend.
With Joel Porter out for another week due to a calf strain and Tahj Minniecon away on international duty at the FIFA U20 World Cup, Bleiberg has called up two Youth Team players into his provisional 16-man squad.
19-year-old striker Golgol Mebrahtu, who made his first team debut from the bench last weekend in Perth, and promising midfield dynamo Steven Lustica (18), are both included.
Returning after a week’s absence with a hip injury is Matt Osman, who will face his old club for the first time since swapping Gosford for the Gold Coast.
A popular figure during his time with Lawrie McKinna’s men, Osman says he is looking forward to returning to Bluetounge Stadium, but expects to leave Gosford with three points in the bag.
“My first priority is to get back into the starting side having just returned from injury, but if I am selected I will really look forward to the challenge of facing my old club,” he said.
“The injury has come along really well this week and I’m very pleased with my progress with that. It’s been improving every day and I’m just glad that I managed to get fit in time to make this week’s squad.
“I had four and a half good years at the Mariners, had a great time and made some wonderful friends, but it was time for me to move on and I’ve settled in at Gold Coast United really well.
“The Mariners have always had a solid team and in all my years there they were always tough opponents who battled well, so there’s no doubt this will be a contest for us.
“But we’re in good form at the moment and there’s no reason why we can’t meet this challenge head on and come away from Bluetounge Stadium with the three points.”
Osman believes the key to success for United will be to stamp their authority on the game from the first whistle and avoid a repeat of last weekend’s defensive lapses that saw United two goals down in the opening quarter hour.
“Mariners are a hard-working team who can play some good football, so it’s up to us to get the upper hand early on and put them on the back foot,” he said.
“They’re dangerous all over the park so it really is up to us to make sure we keep them quiet so we can concentrate on how we want to play. If we do that we’ve every chance of getting the win we’re after.
“We’ve worked on our defensive shape a lot this week to tighten up a bit, especially away from home, so we’re confident we won’t get a repeat of what happened in Perth last week."
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