COLCHESTER United midfielder Kevin Watson faces a race against time to be fit for this weekend's home game against Southampton.Watson hobbled off with a calf injury before the half-hour mark in Monday night's 2-1 defeat at Coventry City.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United midfielder Kevin Watson faces a race against time to be fit for this weekend's home game against Southampton.

Watson hobbled off with a calf injury before the half-hour mark in Monday night's 2-1 defeat at Coventry City. The 32-year-old is a key man for the U's, having missed just four league games in over two years at Layer Road.

Australian attacker Richard Garcia is already out of Saturday's game against the Saints, due to a one-match suspension. The former West Ham front-runner is also nursing an ankle injury.

Watson revealed: “I've set no time-scale on the injury, but it was so frustrating to have to go off so early at Coventry.

“The calf actually tightened up two days before the match, but I was still able to train with it, no problem.

“I can normally just play through it, but as the game wore on, the calf was getting really uncomfortable. It soon became unbearable to put any weight on it, so I had to come off.

“I obviously want to get back to fitness as quickly as possible. I'd love to be fit for this weekend, or at least the following week. The games are coming up thick and fast.

“But I must be careful. I had a calf injury at Reading, which I twice tried to bounce back from too quickly. I ended up missing three months because of that injury,” recalled Watson.

Manager Geraint Williams, facing up to the possibility of being without both Garcia and Watson this weekend, wisely decided not to select probable replacements Kevin McLeod and Johnnie Jackson for yesterday's reserve match.

Winger McLeod and central midfielder Jackson were omitted from the second string side that drew 1-1 at Northampton Town in a Pontins Combination fixture.

Teenager Stephen Opoka fired the U's in front just after the half-hour mark, before Ryan Gilligan equalised for the Cobblers with a deflected long-range shot in the 54th minute.

Jamie Guy, who had scored at Coventry in front of the Sky TV cameras, played just over an hour against the Cobblers.

Fellow first team squad players Dean Gerken, Garry Richards and George Elokobi also enjoyed a run-out.