HAMILTON keeper Gary Woods will miss Friday night’s showdown with Rangers after suffering a lacerated kidney.

The Accies number one suffered his bizarre injury during Saturday’s defeat at St Johnstone and boss Martin Canning fears it could keep him out for a month.

“I don’t know how it’s happened,” admitted Canning, who has also been told defender George Sarris requires a knee operation that will rule out for six weeks. “Just by landing heavily it seems. It’s just a freak accident.

“He had a bit of bother with it over the weekend and went up to hospital yesterday.

“They don’t think it will be anything major, but it will definitely put him out of Friday.”

Meanwhile, Canning admits he is grateful for the backing he gets from his board after seeing friend Jim McIntyre axed by Ross County.

He said: “I was surprised to see Jim lose his job, but that just seems to be the way modern-day football is now. You get a couple of bad results and the manager goes.

“When you see what has now happened to him it just makes me grateful for the support I get here. I know my objective is to stay in the league each year.

“If we do that, we see that as success for us.”