KEVIN Watson has revealed that he is unlikely to be fit for the start of the season.And Watson is just hoping that his Achilles tendon injury does not deteriorate in the same way as plagued former team-mate Marino Keith, who was forced to quit full-time football at Layer Road with a long-term Achilles problem earlier this year.

By Carl Marston

KEVIN Watson has revealed that he is unlikely to be fit for the start of the season.

And Watson is just hoping that his Achilles tendon injury does not deteriorate in the same way as plagued former team-mate Marino Keith, who was forced to quit full-time football at Layer Road with a long-term Achilles problem earlier this year.

Watson is a key man for Colchester United, and the 33-year-old midfielder is confident that his injured Achilles can be rectified.

However, he is unlikely to be named in the squad for the U's opening day clash at Sheffield United in a fortnight's time.

“The Achilles is still very sore. It's an old injury that has come back,” confirmed Watson last night.

“I have got to get it right. It's actually the same sort of injury that affected Marino (Keith), and we know what happened to him, so I have to be careful.

“I'm feeling a bit gutted about the likelihood of missing the start of the season, but I have to be realistic. I have to get the problem sorted out.

“There's no point in starting the season with the injury and then missing six months. I'd rather sit out a few weeks now.

“I'm going to see a specialist on Monday, and to continue playing I really need to monitor my training. I've already had a chat with the gaffer (Geraint Williams) about that, and he's happy,” added Watson.

Ex-Tottenham trainee Watson, who has been with the U's for the last three seasons, played a part in the first pre-season friendly at Heybridge Swifts last weekend.

But the former Rotherham and Reading favourite was sidelined for the midweek trips to Cambridge United and Chelmsford City, and did not feature against a Liverpool XI on Saturday.

Watson continued: “I had the injury towards the end of last season, and an injection seemed to sort it out. I was able to do most of pre-season, but the Achilles began to feel sore towards the end of our week in Ireland.

“I played the second half at Heybridge, but it was very sore by the end of that match. Now I'm going to see a specialist to see what course of action to take. It might be another injection.

“Marino had a similar injection, so I have to be careful. I don't want to go down that route. I don't like cutting back on my training, but that will probably have to happen,” added Watson.

Front-runner Keith was forced to quit professional football after a two-year struggle against an Achilles tendon injury, in March of this year. He is hoping to play part-time in his native Scotland this season.