COLCHESTER United skipper Karl Duguid has had a painful week, coping with a chest injury that forced him to drop out of the U's team just 30 minutes before kick-off at QPR on New Year's Day.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United skipper Karl Duguid has had a painful week, coping with a chest injury that forced him to drop out of the U's team just 30 minutes before kick-off at QPR on New Year's Day.

Duguid will not play at Barnet tomorrow, when the U's begin their FA Cup campaign, but he is hoping to return for the following weekend's home fixture against Leicester City in the Championship.

The U's longest-serving player had an X-ray yesterday, to gauge the cause of his chest problem. The results were encouraging. “There's no crack, which is good, but there's some bruising. Now I'm trying to think when I did it!” explained Duguid.

“I also went to see the doctor, who felt that there was a little tear in the muscle, so I've had an injection to help heal it. That's helped to relieve the pain as well. In fact, it's been a very painful last few days. I've got a cough as well, which has made it worse. It even hurts to move my arms.

“I'm not sure when I did it. Perhaps it was when I came on as a substitute for the final half-hour against Wolves, or in the training session that we had last Sunday.

“I felt it a little during that training session, so had the area iced and took some painkillers. But it got far worse during the warm-up at QPR. I couldn't run properly, or hardly speak. It felt like I was having an asthma attack. I was struggling to breathe.

“To be honest, I thought that I'd cracked a rib. But it's about rest now. I won't be playing at Barnet this weekend, but I hope to be back for the home match against Leicester the following Saturday,” confirmed Duguid.

The 28-year-old started the first 25 league and cup games of the season, but has been in the wars since then. He lasted just two minutes at Preston, due to a nasty eye injury which caused him to miss the 4-1 home win over Luton on Boxing Day.

He was on the bench against Wolves, and named on the team-sheet at QPR, only to withdraw at the 11th hour. With the exception of Duguid's chest complaint, U's boss Williams has no new injury concerns ahead of tomorrow's trip to Underhill.

n Colchester United's away match at Southampton has been moved to a Friday night to accommodate Sky Sports TV.

The U's will now be visiting St Mary's Stadium on Friday, March 16 (kick-off 7.45pm). It will be the fourth time this season that Geraint Williams' men have featured in a live televised game.

United's 1-0 home win over Ipswich, and the 2-1 defeat at Coventry, were screened live on Sky TV last autumn, and their rearranged trip to Derby County on Friday, March 2, will also be televised.