Wellington Phoenix have been dealt a blow with news that goalkeeper Mark Paston will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

The New Zealand international, who turned 34 yesterday, was injured in a clash with Gold Coast United striker Bruce Djite on Saturday night and it does not look good after getting the results of his scans.

The MRI scan revealed that Paston has a 'depressed fracture of the tibial plateau' which in lamens terms is a broken kneecap.

The injury is a fairly severe one and is expected to keep Paston out for a number of months according to a club spokesperson.

"Mark will see a specialist on Wednesday and that will determine what happens next, but from the basic results of the scan the general feeling is he will be out for months, not weeks," the spokesperson said.

Phoenix number two keeper Danny Vukovic will step into Paston's shoes in his absence which will be his second chunk of time away from the game following a broken leg last season.