Hartlepool's Mark Shelton Ruled Out Of Scunthorpe Clash After Cotton Bud Stuck In Ear

Graeme Lee's side are facing an injury crisis ahead of their trip to Glanford Park this weekend, with the likes of Nicky Featherstone, Luke Molyneux and Joe Grey missing out through knocks.

The Pools have gone three successive games without being able to fill their substitutes bench. In fact, they have lost all three of those fixtures. And things aren't getting much better.

Ahead of Saturday's game against Scunthorpe, it was confirmed that Shelton, who has made 41 appearances in all competitions this season, managed to get a cotton bud stuck in his ear this week.

He will therefore miss tomorrow's 230 mile round trip down south. "Mark's had a cotton bud in his ear that has gone in too far," Pools boss Graeme Lee told BBC Radio Tees.

"He's gone to the hospital, it sounds like the tweezers have gone in too far and he's dizzy and can't stand up."

Shelton's injury will certainly go down as one of the strangest this season.

On the subject of injuries, here are a few of football's most bizarre and unfortunate injuries. Strap in, because these are mad.

- Darren Barnard (Chelsea/Barnsley) - Fell on Dog Poo

An innocent puppy almost ended former Welsh international Darren Barnard's career.

Unbeknownst to Barnard, said new born puppy had accidentally left a rather large mess on the kitchen floor and the midfielder ruptured his ankle ligaments after slipping in it. He was out of action for five months.

Dave Beasant (Southampton) - Salad Cream Injury

He severed a tendon in his toe and was ruled out for eight weeks.

Svein Grondalen (Norway) - Collision with Moose

When Norway boss Tor Roste Fossen was informed of Svein Grondalen's reason for his withdrawal ahead of an important World Cup qualifier, he must have feared the worst.

In an attempt to maintain peak physical fitness, the central defender - known for his physical strength and uncompromising tackling - went for a jog near his home, but came off second best in a collision with a moose.

Steve Morrow (Arsenal) - Broken Collarbone Celebrating

In the 1993 League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday, the promising midfielder bagged what turned out to be the winner. Unfortunately, as the final whistle was blown and the celebrations began, skipper Tony Adams hoisted the goal-scoring hero into the air and promptly dropped him.

Morrow broke his collarbone and was stuffed in the back of an ambulance as his team-mates collected their medals.

He missed the rest of the season, including the FA Cup final.

Darius Vassell (Aston Villa) - Power Drill Incident

So, a common injury in football is the blood blister. Do you go to the club physio or try and burst it with an electric power drill?

Well, Darius Vassell decided to self-operate on his foot with a power drill. Yes, the same piece of equipment you would use to puncture holes in concrete walls.

The unorthodox technique did the trick and the blood blister was no more. However, the following blood infection caused a lot more damage.