Carlisle United's Paul Simpson on Joe Garner injury at Reading

The experienced frontman went down hurt in the early stages of the game and had to be substituted after just nine minutes.

United feared Garner had done damage to his knee ligaments but, despite the 35-year-old being taken to hospital, the injury is not as serious as that.

"He’s been to hospital and he’s back now," said Simpson, speaking after the game.

"It looked as if it was a bad one, I thought he’d done knee ligaments, but he got a gash on his knee.

• Match report from Reading 5-1 Carlisle United

"It was a really deep gash that he’s had about eight or nine stitches in, but he had to go to hospital to make sure he got it cleaned out properly.

"He’s back now.

"As daft as this sounds it’s not as bad as I feared it would be and I’m quite relieved in a way.

"That didn’t help us, but I’m not going to sit here and say Joe going off early was what caused that performance."

Joe Garner is helped off the pitch by physio Chris Brunskill (Image: Richard Parkes)

While Simpson will hope Garner will be able to recover quickly enough to play in United's next game against Blackpool on December 9, one player certain to miss that game is defender Jack Armer.

His yellow card for dissent at Reading was his fifth booking of the season and he faces a one-match ban.

Tuesday night's game was United's 19th and the last game before the cut-off point under EFL rules where players were at risk of such a suspension. Other Carlisle players in that predicament avoided a ban.

Armer was cautioned for his protests after Reading's second goal, with Carlisle appealing for a free-kick in the build-up.

"Jack’s suspended, he’s out for the next game – that’s five," said Simpson.

"I took Jon Mellish off because I felt the way the game was going he might pick up his fifth and it was a damage limitation job.

"Thankfully Owen Mox or Sam Lavelle didn’t pick up one, they’ve got through this game which was the cut-off point for it.

"If I’m honest that’s probably the only positive I can take out of tonight’s game, performance and result – and I’m clutching at straws to think of any positives."