American defender Hailey Davidson has been cleared of a broken nose following a nasty head collision in Wellington Phoenix's 1-0 loss to Sydney FC on Friday.
The right-back had left a bloody mess and had to be substituted midway through the second half after Sydney's Aideen Keane jumped up to catch a header and hit her on the nose with a flush.
But Phoenix coach Paul Temple allayed fears that Davidson may have broken her nose in the 62nd-minute incident, saying she probably could have continued playing had she not needed to be cleaned.
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Phoenix full-back Hailey Davidson had to be substituted after a fierce header challenge against Sydney FC.
“To be honest, we could have gotten her out of there, but she had blood on her socks, her shorts and her shirt,” Temple said after the game.
“They assume it would take five or six minutes to clean up and against Sydney you just can't play six minutes with ten players.
“I think she's fine. She’ll have a sore nose tomorrow, but overall I think she’ll be fine.”
Temple said it was a huge blow to lose Davidson at a crucial stage of the game as the score was 0-0 when the 22-year-old was substituted.
Although the Phoenix had a handy replacement in Zoe McMeeken, Sydney scored the winning goal through 18-year-old Jynaya Dos Santos ten minutes after Davidson's substitution.
The former University of Pittsburgh player has been an ever-present figure for the Phoenix since her arrival in the A-League Women, starting every game at right-back.
“It was a real shame because I thought she played really well,” Temple added.
“She did a very good job [Princess] Two.”
Davidson became the second American to head a ball into an opponent this season after striker Hope Breslin suffered a black eye from a powerful hit against the Central Coast Mariners.
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