Southend V Charlton at Roots Hall : Match Preview

24 December 2017 11:29
Sore back leaves Mark Oxley struggling to feature against Charlton

Goalkeeper Mark Oxley is an injury doubt for Southend's clash with Charlton after hurting his back during Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Scunthorpe.

Nathan Bishop came off the bench for the start of the second half and will replace Oxley should he miss out against the Addicks.

"Mark made a great save in the first half and fell against the base of the post," said Shrimpers boss Phil Brown after the weekend clash. "He couldn't kick it so, with that in mind and a heavy fixture list coming up, I decided to leave him for the second half and on went Nathan."

Ryan Leonard returns to contention after serving a one-game ban and Anthony Wordsworth played the full 90 minutes after limping off in Southend's previous game. Michael Timlin misses out with an ankle ligament injury.

The Boxing Day fixture against the Shrimpers could come too soon for Charlton's Chris Solly.

The 26-year-old defender was sidelined for Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Blackpool with a calf injury.

Leon Best made his return in Karl Robinson's starting line-up against the Seasiders and will be hoping to hold onto his spot as Charlton look to return to winning ways after collecting just two points from their last five games.

Billy Clarke (anterior cruciate ligament) remains out of action for the remainder of the season, while Jake Forster-Caskey (thigh) is likely to be sidelined for the entire festive programme.

Source: PAR