JOHNNIE Jackson must have walked under a ladder, or smashed a mirror, because the luck has deserted him this year!

Carl Marston

Colchester soccer, Jackson story

By Carl Marston

JOHNNIE Jackson must have walked under a ladder, or smashed a mirror, because the luck has deserted him this year!

Colchester United's talented midfielder could be out for the rest of the season, after injuring his hamstring within three minutes of his appearance as a second-half substitute at Scunthorpe on Saturday.

Jackson looked a distraught figure in the dugout, after limping off with his latest injury - he had only just returned from an eight-week absence due to a shoulder problem.

The ex-Tottenham trainee went for a scan yesterday, and the results were not particularly encouraging.

“The results of the scan show that I have between a grade one and a grade two tear, which basically means that I'll be out for three or four weeks,” confirmed Jackson last night.

“I might make the last couple of games, if I'm lucky, but that could be my season over.

“I never usually get injuries, so this is really frustrating. It took eight weeks to get over the shoulder injury, which was the longest spell out of action in my whole career.

“I had got myself fit again, and then this happens! I wanted to be a real part of the team for the remainder of the season, which makes it doubly disappointing.

“I have never had back-to-back injuries before, and I've never been injured quite so quickly in a game,” added Jackson, who came on as a 67th minute substitute and was replaced just three minutes later.

Jackson started the U's first 19 league games of the campaign, and in fact did not miss any of the first 25 league fixtures. However, he sustained a shoulder injury during the 3-1 home win over Cheltenham on January 17, since when it has been a tale of woe for the 26-year-old former England youth international.

“It was my very first touch of the ball (at Scunthorpe). I was trying to stretch to get on the end of one of Platty's (Clive Platt's) flick-ons,” revealed Jackson.

“I felt the hamstring go immediately. It was my first dynamic bit of action in the match, and even though I hadn't done my hamstring before, I knew what had happened as soon as I felt it pop.

“I tried to run it off, but it was impossible. I had to come off. I feel very hard done by. It's a real choker!” added Jackson.