CONOR Gough has revealed he hopes to be back playing for Canvey Island in two months after a horrific work-related injury saw part of one of his fingers amputated.

The 23-year-old goalkeeper was working on a building-site in Dagenham last Monday when a concrete beam he was moving fell onto his left-hand little finger.

Gough was rushed to hospital and, due to the severity of the injury, underwent the procedure just three days later.

The broken and dislocated finger was taken off just above the top knuckle but Gough said the first person he spoke to afterwards was manager Danny Heale, with Canvey on the eve of an FA Cup replay.

“It was a painful one,” said Gough. “I only had to move the beam about 10mm and it slipped and when I pulled my glover out afterwards the finger was about three inches longer than it had been. I couldn’t look at it as I am not the best with blood!

“I tried to ring my mum and dad but got no answer so Dan was my third call. I told him he needed to get someone in and thankfully he was just able to do that.”

It was all done under general anaesthetic which was good although it meant I could heard him drilling it to put the wire in so that wasn’t too nice.”

The wire will be taken out of Gough’s finger in a month and, following a bout of hand therapy, he hopes to be back in training two weeks later.

“As soon as I get feeling back I will be back in training,” he said. “I should be able to get gloves made for me but I am used to hurting my fingers. I have broken six over the years but that happens as a goalkeeper.”

The injury to Gough has coincided with a dip in form, with the Gulls hovering just above the relegation places.

Dagenham & Redbridge loanee Lewis Moore has come in to fill the void in Gough’s absence and the stricken stopper has backed the team to re-find their form sooner rather than later.

“We have been unlucky recently and have been carrying injuries,” he said. “But we will start picking up. This is our blip and hopefully we are having it at the start.

“In terms of Lew I have trained with him before. When I was at Bristol Rovers I went on trial at Dagenham when he was there and he is talented.”