The attacking midfielder was substituted during the first half and Reds manager James Robinson fears the issue could spell an end to the youngster’s National Premier Leagues Victoria 1 season.

“It’s not the best of news for Pat and the club, but he’s a strong character,” Robinson said.

It was a tale of two halves on Saturday night as the visiting Red Devils created chances and took a 2-1 lead into half-time thanks to goals by Michael Trigger and Simon Murphy, before Kingston found the net on four more occasions to secure an emphatic result at the Grange Reserve in Clayton South.

There were some unlucky deflections that led to Kingston goals, while goalkeeper Aaron Romein conceded a penalty, which was converted in the 70th minute. 

A shining light for the Reds was Ibrahim Ghulami’s first senior goal, which came in stoppage time as a late consolation.

Robinson said his team let the home side back into the match after the break with simple chances on goal.

“We weren’t cut open, but we gave them the opportunities to score easy goals and that was the disappointing thing,” he said.

“Credit to Kingston – they put five past us. But when you score three away from home, you expect to come away with the points.”

Robinson said Ballarat’s chances in the match were hurt when central midfielder Josh Romein (hip flexor) and forward Jimmy Downey (hamstring) both failed to start because of injury. But he praised the efforts of players such as 16-year-old James King – Karras’ replacement in the first half – for his “colossal” effort in the middle of the park.

The Red Devils’ attention now turns to a home encounter with Whittlesea Ranges on Saturday.