Southend United captain suffers injury setback

Southend United will be missing captain Craig Easton for longer than expected as the former Scotland Under-21 International is still suffering minor setbacks in his quest for full fitness.

The Shrimpers only signed Easton in the summer following his departure from Swindon and he was immediately issued with the captain's armband, but has yet to manage more than six appearances.

A calf injury picked up during the defeat to Northampton six weeks ago should have cleared up by now, but Easton told www.echo-news.co.uk: "I've been out longer than I thought and it's been frustrating."

He added: "I thought it was all progressing fine but I went back a couple of weeks after suffering a setback. I tore another bit of my calf but it's coming on now and with every day I'm getting closer to being back training with the lads.

"I'm not sure when that will be and we have to be sensible about it so I don't suffer any more setbacks."

Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved.