MAMADY SIDIBE is facing up to more injury heartache . . . after Tony Pulis revealed that the striker could be out for the season with a snapped Achilles tendon.

The Mali international had to be stretchered off after collapsing in agony a few minutes after being introduced as a second half substitute in the Tottenham game.

Sidibe, who was sidelined for nine months last year with damaged knee ligaments, now faces another long battle to regain fitness over the next nine months.

"It's a cruel blow for Mama because it appears he has snapped his Achilles," revealed Pulis as he reflected on Stoke City's 2-1 defeat to Spurs at the Britannia Stadium.

"The medical staff have told me that it doesn't look good for him, although we will have to wait for confirmation from the scan that he will have on the injury. If that is the damage though, he will be lucky to play again this season, and that's a big setback for us."

Pulis was philosophical about the controversial last minute incident which saw new signing Jon Walters denied a goal on his debut that would have snatched City a point.

Television replays showed that a close range header from Walters had not only crossed the line, but also appeared to be handled by Peter Crouch as he scrambled it away.

Referee Chris Foy, who was close to the incident, waved away the protests of the City players and Tottenham hung on in injury time to claim all three points.

"We've just got to take it on the chin I'm afraid," said City's manager. "Three or four players turned away to celebrate the goal because they were convinced it was over the line, and the television replay shows that the ball had crossed the line.

"But in all honesty I thought there was a foul on their goalkeeper in the lead up to the incident. If the referee doesn't give that foul then it should be a goal. Sometimes they go your way, on other occasions they don't, and you just have to accept that."

He added: "It's another example of how video technology could have cleared it up very quickly because it only takes a couple of minutes to see the replay. But this is Stoke City and I am just Tony Pulis, so I am not going to change things."

Those views were echoed by Spurs boss Harry Redknapp who commented: "The ball could well have been over the line, but there was foul on our 'keeper."

Pulis felt that his side had done enough to earn a point as they created a number of good opportunities in the second half to grab an equaliser.

"I thought we stood off Spurs in the first half, we didn't get close enough to them, and they punished us for not doing that," he commented. "But we pushed on after the break and we looked like the only team who were going to score for much of the half."

Redknapp had words of consolation for City despite a second defeat at the start of their third campaign in the Barclays Premier League.