Nathan Ralph, the captain of SOUTHEND United, hurt his ankle during the Blues’ victory at Bishop’s Stortford on Saturday.
Five minutes before halftime, the Blues defender had to be substituted out, and he was later observed exiting RDA Stadium with a protective boot on.
Kevin Maher, the manager of the Shrimpers, is uncertain about the extent of Ralph’s injury setback, though.
READ MORE: Match report from Blues’ win at Bishop’s Stortford
Maher remarked, “He’s gone home wearing a boot.”
He took a blow and also gave it a little roll. After we watch how things calm down, we’ll decide what to do next.
The only negative aspect of another successful afternoon for the Shrimpers was Ralph’s injury setback.
Blues won their third straight preseason game with to goals from Josh Walker and Gus Scott-Morriss in the first half.
And Maher thought Blues got better despite getting off to a bad start in the match.
Maher remarked, “It’s hard to judge too much, but it’s nice to win and get a clean sheet.”
“I thought the first half was a little slow and clumsy, but it makes sense given yesterday’s intense training session.
“We were more of a threat once we worked that out and moved through the pitch a little quicker, but that definitely played a small part in it.”
For the first time this preseason, Maher was also able to rely upon left wing-back Jack Bridge and goalkeeper Collin Andeng Ndi, who is now healthy.
Maher was overjoyed to see the pair back together.
The Shrimpers’ manager stated, “The longer it goes without them playing minutes, the more difficult it is.”
“I’m happy with them and it was good to see because it was important for them to play.”
However, Maher still has a lot of work ahead of him before the upcoming campaign begins next month.
Maher stated, “I need to take care of a few staffing issues. Right now, I don’t have a goalkeeping coach or an analyst.”
“If I’m being honest, we’re still a little off, but we’re okay in terms of fitness. We would appreciate one or two extra bodies as we still have some work to accomplish.
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