The horror injury suffered by Notts County's Lewis Macari at Colchester has given the Magpies added incentive to get promoted to League One, says boss Martin Paterson.
The 24-year-old defender suffered a serious leg injury in the first half of a game that Notts went on to win 1-0 to ensure their bid for the top three and automatic promotion would go to the final day.
Macari has played a major role in keeping Notts up there among the contenders.
He has made 40 appearances in a campaign that was hit by controversy in October when handed a suspended three-match ban after pleading guilty to a catalogue of historical betting breaches.
"We, as a football club, supported him through a tough time and he has paid us back no end with his endeavour and his quality at time, because he is underrated," Paterson told BBC Radio Nottingham.
"We now have a common goal, to do it for those ones that can't be out there to do it.
"We have to flip this really bad moment, this and negative moment of him hurting himself into a positive for the football club and for him – to give him a chance to maybe play at a higher level.
"Let's use it as fuel."
Saturday's victory guaranteed Notts a play-off place at the very least this season.
It also means they could snatch an automatic promotion place on Saturday if they beat Bristol Rovers at Meadow Lane and results elsewhere go in their favour.
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Paterson said "it was tough" to see Macari sustain the injury on Saturday, with the Magpies boss adding that the "best wishes" of everyone at the club was with the player that "embodies everything that this team is".
Macari has since undergone surgery and remains in hospital in Cambridge.
The Magpies hope to have him transferred to Nottingham in the coming days and, while the full extent of the injury has not been shared, Paterson backs the former Stoke City defender to return from the setback.
"He will bounce back. Don't worry about Lewis Macari, he is tougher than old leather," Paterson said.
"He works hard, and every single day he comes in and does his best. He never shirks a tackle and he's not given me one moment of a dip in terms of his attitude.
"The boy is salt of the earth."
