PIRATES star Kyle Newman has expressed relief after discovering he could be back in the saddle by the middle of May.

Newman initially feared his season could have been over after he sustained a nasty shoulder injury during the abandoned Darcy Ward Invitational seven days ago.

The 25-year-old fractured a shoulder blade and tore three muscles – including the rotator cuff – and looked certain to require potentially season-ending surgery.

But Newman, a hugely popular figure at Wimborne Road, today learned the extent of the damage was not as serious and he would not need an operation.

And the club’s vice-captain, who has been temporarily replaced by loan addition Lewis Kerr, could return to the fold in four to six weeks.

Scans revealed Newman had suffered small tears around his fractured shoulder blade but no significant muscle damage, allowing him to start physiotherapy immediately.

Newman said: “I'm over the moon with the scan results. It's put my mind at rest. It's been a worrying time but now we can put together a fitness plan to get back to full fitness.

"I have a few small tears but nothing major. The main cause for the swelling is that muscles are catching on my shoulder blade which prevents some movements.

"The main thing is that I don't need surgery. We don't know how long the recovery period would have been for that but now we have a time scale.

"I can't wait to get back on a bike and kick-start my season. It's a massive year for me but, hopefully, I can get this out of the way and kick on."