As reported yesterday, Southend United defender Mark Phillips has picked up a groin injury that makes him a doubt for next Tuesday's vital League Two six-pointer with Paolo Di Canio's rampant Robins.
Phillips: 'I wanted to carry on playing but in the end I couldn’t' Shrimpers centre-back Mark Phillips has been in terrific form all season, at the back and in front of goal, third top scorer with eight, but fears his most recent injury that saw him limp off during the second half of the 2-1 defeat at Shrewsbury Town last Saturday will mean him missing next weeks's vital clash with Di Canio's rampant Swindon Town, who sit only a win below the Blues. Phillips told www.echo-news.co.uk: "The way the season is shaping up at the moment I don’t think we’ve had a more important game than the one against Swindon, so of course I really want to play in it. In my mind I’m preparing for the game as usual but whether or not it’s realistic for me to expect to be able to play I don’t know. I’ve been pleased with the improvement which has been made since I picked up the injury at the weekend, and hopefully things can continue that way. But I don’t know exactly how long I will be out for.” Last season's sicknote, he's been mainly injury free this present campaign, and will be badly missed against the Wiltshire Robins who have has lost only one game out of 22 in all competitions. Phillips said: “I over-stretched in the first half when I went up for a header and it just got worse the longer the game went on. I wanted to carry on playing but in the end I couldn’t and I had to come off, which was disappointing.” Bilel Mohsni would be favourite to replace him in the starting line-up, but with a ten day wait before kick-off after the Shrews loss it would be a real boost to see the former Millwall man take up his usual position. The Shrews faithful speak: http://blueandamber.proboards.com Have other things on their mind at Swindon: http://thetownend.com Caught live, the Di Canio rant!: http://news.bbc.co.uk
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Source: FOOTYMAD
