A GROWING number of PNE players are facing the knife during the summer as Craig Brown bids to have a fully fit side for pre-season in August.

Star striker Richard Cresswell is to have a double-hernia operation within the next two weeks, just before he gets hitched.

Keeper David Lucas could an operation on his shoulder, which caused him problems through the latter part of the year. Any op would rule him out until September.

Young winger John Bailey has also been signed up for a hernia operation after seeing a specialist.

And two players have already gone under the surgeon's knife - young keeper Andrew Lonergan and midfielder Brian O'Neil, both to do with knee clartlidge.

Brown said: "Either the game down here is tougher than I thought, or it has been a really bad spell of luck for us.

"I think we have now had 14 operations since I arrived."